The Greatest Point Guard In Brooklyn Nets History
Jason Kidd nearly made the Nets a championship team again
There have been a decent amount of great point guards in Brooklyn Nets history. But the greatest one did more than just traditional “point guard duties”.
After spending five years with the Phoenix Suns, Jason Kidd was traded to the Nets in 2001 for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake. Even though he was joining a Nets team that was mainly built around Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn, Kidd fit right in.
In his first year there, he averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 2.1 steals. He logged in four 30-point games and eight triple-doubles. However, his best overall performance came near the end of the year. On Mar. 19, 2002, he recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His efforts that year led the Nets to a 52-30 record, a 26-game improvement from the previous season. It also marked the first 50-win season in franchise history. He also earned an All-Star appearance while being listed on the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He even finished second in MVP voting, behind Tim Duncan, although many pundits believed Kidd should have won the award based on the influence he had in New Jersey.
Obviously, the Nets made the playoffs that year and got as far as the Finals, where they got swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. In the playoffs, Kidd averaged 19.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists.
The 2002-03 season ended up being one of Kidd’s best ones in terms of numbers. He logged in 18.7 points a game, along with 6.3 rebounds, a league-leading 8.9 assists and 2.2 steals. On Jan. 23, 2003, he scored 41 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, his only 40-point game as a Net.
During the playoffs that year, Kidd put on a highlighting performance as he averaged a playoff career-high 20.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.8 steals. He led the Nets to another Finals appearance where they lost 4-2 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Of course, Kidd earned another All-Star appearance but finished just ninth in MVP voting. He did, however, make the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and All-NBA Second Team.
Kidd’s scoring started to dip slightly the following year. He logged in just 15.5 points a contest but, once again, led the league in assists with an average of 9.2. One of his best overall performances that season came in just the second game. On Oct. 31, 2003, he registered 21 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals and one block against the Minnesota Timberwolves, resulting in a victory.
The Nets made the playoffs again but lost in the Semifinals to the Detroit Pistons. They pushed the series to Game 7 where Kidd was held scoreless due to a knee injury he eventually needed surgery for.
To no surprise, he made the All-Star team again that year while finishing eighth in MVP voting. He also made the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive Second Team.
During his last four years in a Nets jersey, he averaged just 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.7 steals. He did put on an extraordinary performance during the 2007 playoffs, however. In those playoffs, he recorded 14.6 points per game, as well as 10.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists. That particular feat made him the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double during the postseason.
After playing 51 games with the Nets during the 2007-08 campaign, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Kidd’s contributions to the Nets left a valuable mark. Not only is he their all-time leader in assists with 4,620 and steals with 950 but his jersey number can be found in the rafters.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s “Wiz of Awes”. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson and Instagram @ckenzynelson