Ranking the Best Point Guards in Brooklyn Nets History

The Brooklyn Nets currently own one of the best point guards in the NBA in Deron Williams.

Williams is coming off a season during which he averaged 18.9 points and 7.7 assists. Believe it or not, those are subpar numbers for the 29-year-old, who’s appeared in three NBA All-Star games and won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.

But D-Will is just the latest in a long line of talented Nets to play the position.

From Mookie Blaylock to Jason Kidd, the Nets top five point guards stack up against any other NBA franchise’s all-time greats.

Let’s take a closer look at the careers of the most accomplished floor generals in Nets history.

No. 5 Mookie Blaylock

Mookie Blaylock played three seasons for the Nets before the team traded him to the Atlanta Hawks following the 1991-92 season.

In three campaigns with New Jersey, Blaylock averaged 12.6 points and 5.7 assists on 40 percent shooting.

The Nets acquired the University of Oklahoma product via a trade with the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for power forward Buck Williams. The Nets also got Sam Bowie in the deal and used the first-round pick from the Blazers to select Blaylock in the 1989 NBA draft.

The Nets were an atrocious 17-65 during Blaylock’s rookie season. The team improved to 26-56 in 1990-91 and finished 40-42 in 1991-92. Blaylock averaged 25.3 minutes his rookie season, then played nearly 36 minutes during his final two seasons with the Nets.

As his playing time increased, so did the Nets’ win total. Unfortunately, New Jersey decided to trade him in 1992 and received very little in return.

Blaylock went on to lead the NBA in steals in back-to-back seasons (1996-97 and 1997-98). The 6’0” point guard led the league in three-point attempts in 1996-97 and finished second in threes made. He’s the Hawks’ franchise leader in three-pointers made.

No. 4 Sam Cassell

Coming in at No. 4 on the list is Sam Cassell.

Aside from looking like a space alien, Cassell was one of the most prolific point guards in the history of the NBA. Throughout his 16-year NBA career, the 6’3”, 180-pound Florida State product averaged 15.7 points and six assists on 45 percent shooting.

Cassell was traded to New Jersey from the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of the 1996-97 season. He averaged 19.3 points and 6.5 assists on 44 percent shooting during the second half of the year. The Nets finished an abysmal 26-56 that season, but he decided to re-sign with the team.

It wasn’t until the 1997-98 season, however, that Cassell really made his mark with the Nets. He put up an impressive 19.8 points and eight assists for a team that finished 43-39 and made the playoffs under head coach John Calipari.

Due to a lockout, the 1998-99 NBA season didn’t start until February 5. After spraining his right ankle, Cassell would only appear in 16 more games for the Nets. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 11, 1999.

No. 3 Kenny Anderson

The Nets took Kenny Anderson with the second overall pick of the 1991 NBA draft.

Born in Queens, New York, Anderson attended Georgia Tech, where he played two years, leading the Yellow Jackets to the Final Four in 1990.

When the Nets drafted Anderson, he was the youngest player in the league. But his lack of experience and lack of size (6’0”, 168 lbs.) didn’t stop him from averaging 17.7 points and nine assists and 1.6 steals from 1992 to 1995.

Anderson and power forward Derrick Coleman represented New Jersey in the 1994 All-Star game. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets with Gerald Glass in exchange for Kendall Gill and Khalid Rheeves on January 19, 1996.

No. 2 Deron Williams

Deron Williams is the face of the Brooklyn Nets.

After six-and-a-half productive seasons with the Utah Jazz, during which he made three All-Star appearances, he was traded to the Nets on February 23, 2011.

Before arriving in New Jersey, D-Will was already established as a top-five player at his position. During his career in Utah, he averaged over ten assists in four straight seasons.

After averaging 21 points and 8.7 points in 2011-12, Williams had a bit of an off year in 2012-13. Battling injuries and fatigue, he still managed to average 18.9 points and 7.8 assists, and Williams led the Nets to the playoffs.

Following the blockbuster trade between the Nets and Boston Celtics that was completed this summer, Williams now has the privilege of playing with Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

Many are expecting the Nets’ point guard to have a career year in 2013-14.

No. 1 Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd and Chris Dudley were traded to New Jersey by the Phoenix Suns on July 18, 2001 for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake.

Kidd, who was hired as the head coach of the Nets in June, also happens to be the best player in franchise history. His exceptional size (6’4”, 210 lbs.) and high basketball IQ made him a threat to record a triple-double almost every night.

Kidd’s numbers speak for themselves.

During his 18-year career, Kidd recorded over 100 triple-doubles and 10,000 assists. He’s the only player in NBA history with at least 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds.

He also led the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

While an NBA title narrowly eluded Kidd with the Nets, he was able to win one with Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in 2011.

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