#24 Richard Jefferson
Player File
This is Richard Jefferson's fourth 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 a contract extension
worth approx. $78 million through the 2010 - 2011 season.
2003 - 2004 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
82
Minutes PG:
38.2
Points PG:
18.5
PCT: .498
Free Throw PCT:
.763
Rebounds PG:
5.7
Assists PG:
3.8
Blocks PG:
0.34
Steals PG:
1.12
Turnovers PG:
2.41
Nicknames:
You mean other than RJ? Try All Alone 24, Golden Child, Silver Lining,
or Barry Sanders. None of them are likely to stick, but there are more
nicknames here.
Known For: Great leaping ability and athleticism, defensive prowess, highlight dunks, moves to the hoop, unbridled enthusiasm, confidence bordering on cockiness.
The Skinny: Star power! I mean, what else do the 2004 - 2005 version of the Nets have to look forward to? RJ is being counted on to carry this team on his energizer-rabbit-like effort, with Jason Kidd likely out for part (if not all) of the season. Hey, that's what a $78 million contract extension will get you. The newly minted savior will be featured everywhere as the new face of the Nets, but will he hold up his end of the bargain on the court?
He'll have plenty of opportunities to score, but he'll also have to find a way to grab more rebounds, bring the ball up court, and play as active a defense as he can muster as this gang learns how to play with each other. Expect Jefferson to find it tough going early as he adjusts to teams throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him.
The Concern: Nearly an All-Star, but can he continue his rise without his mentor Jason Kidd's assistance? Thus far he's been at his best in the Nets' run-and-gun offense, but that's not likely to occur in '04-'05, so can he still be the scorer the Nets desperately need in the half court? His outside shooting has gotten better every year, and he certainly can create something out of nothing, but will he be able to shake free of multiple defenders and make the pass to the open Net, when that open Net is not KMart, Kittles or Kidd? Or score nearly as often if the defensive-rebounds-to-start-a-break aren't there? And, how will he adjust to the likely dearth of fan support? Can he stay happy while everything else around him is unsettled? Empty arenas don't make for good feelings...
Joe's World View: Mercy, will RJ play a ton of minutes, especially without Kidd. Therefore, he must be the leader on the floor, the scorer, the everything. I would anticipate that Jefferson will be chopped, hacked, tackled and otherwise body-blocked about as often as Curtis Martin, with defenses doing everything they can to stop the Nets' main scoring threat. Unfortunately, unless the Nets come up with some finishers (like Ron Mercer, Eric Williams and the perennially incompetent around the basket Jason Collins), it could be a long, ugly, low scoring season in New Jersey.
As for RJ, well, he's certainly the most optimistic fellow since, um, Lawrence Frank, who also believes that the Nets can and will compete and make the playoffs in 2005. Not sure that's going to happen, but if RJ is leading the charge, and he gets decent (OK, make that more like good-to-great) support from a bunch of career roleplayers, the Nets just might make most of us eat our words.
Joe's Prediction:
21 PPG, 6 Rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 41 minutes per game averages.
Richard Jefferson stats and bio: click here.
The 2004 - 2005 Roster
Travis Best - G
Rodney Buford - G/F
Jason Collins - C
Kyle Davis - C
Richard Jefferson - F
Jason Kidd - G
Nenad Krstic - F/C
Ron Mercer - G/F
Alonzo Mourning - C
Zoran Planinic - G/F
Brian Scalabrine - F
Jacque Vaughn - G
Aaron Williams - F/C
Eric Williams - F
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