#24 Richard Jefferson
Player File
This is Richard Jefferson's second year
in the NBA, and as a Net. Jefferson is a 6' 7" forward from Arizona
('01).
Birthday:
June 21, 1980
Birthplace:
Los Angeles, CA
High School:
Moon Valley HS, Phoenix, AZ.
Drafted:
13th overall in the 2001 Draft, by Houston.
NBA Career:
Acquired by Nets from Houston on June 27, 2001.
Contract: Signed through the 2004 - 2005
season.
2001 - 2002 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
79
Minutes PG:
24.3
Points PG:
9.4
PCT: .457
Free Throw PCT:
.713
Rebounds PG:
3.7
Assists PG:
1.8
Blocks PG:
0.61
Steals PG:
0.81
Turnovers PG:
1.35
Nicknames:
Needs a good one, doesn't he? Our readers came up with "Jefferson
Airplane, " King Richard," "Baby Kenyon," and
more.
Known For: Great leaping ability and athleticism, defensive prowess, moves to the hoop, unbridled enthusiasm, confidence bordering on cockiness.
The Real Deal: Jefferson had an always-improving rookie season last year, showing that he was ready to take it to the next level with his all-around play. Had much more of an offensive game than anyone expected, coming out of college with more of a defensive stopper reputation. But Jefferson can score by a multitude of ways, from the unbelievable sky-high slam, to the artful dodge and weave through traffic to the hoop, to an improving outside shot. Needs to work on his range, though. Jefferson, along with Kenyon Martin, are the two Nets most likely to elevate – not just off Kidd passes for monster jams, but elevate their games to All-Star levels in the years to come.
Joe's Take: Wow, has Jefferson got some serious potential. Confident, maybe arrogant even, Jefferson shows some of the same traits that make all NBA legends great – the desire to be the best, to improve every aspect of his game, and perhaps most impressively, leave everyone amazed with his athletic ability. Who knew that this was the player the Nets were getting when they traded Eddie Griffin for him? If Jefferson adds range to his outside shot, he could eventually become virtually unstoppable. He'll go as far as his desire will take him – and he appears to have plenty of that. Perhaps the key to the Nets season, if Jefferson shows the improvement everyone thinks he will in his first year as a starter, the Nets could be even more successful than they were last season.
Champagne's Take: The pride of the Nets' rookie class of 2001. There's nobody out there left pining for Eddie Griffin. After all, this guy took Keith Van Horn's job and sent him packing to Philly. Jefferson is the antidote to the tenative Nets teams of the past, the guys who gave Calipari a conniption, guys who wouldn't drive inside. Jefferson has a baseline drive that has to be witnessed to be believed. Huge bodies on the rug underneath the rim do not dissuade him. He needed playoff testing, and got all you could possibly get last year. What I'm asking of him: could he practice those free-throws? He shot under the Nets' pretty bad average of .735 last season (24th in the league).
Richard Jefferson stats and bio: click here.
2002 - 2003 Nets Roster
Brandon Armstrong - G
Chris Childs - G
Jason Collins - C
Lucious Harris - G
Richard Jefferson - F
Anthony Johnson - G
Jason Kidd - PG
Kerry Kittles - G
Kenyon Martin - F
Dikembe Mutombo - C
Rodney Rogers - F
Brian Scalabrine - F
Tamar Slay - G
Aaron Williams - PF/C
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