The Brooklyn Nets (formerly New Jersey) have never been fortunate to have that franchise-defining selection in the NBA draft. When you think about other teams such as Magic Johnson for the Los Angeles Lakers, Larry Bird for the Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers, or more recently, Luka Doncic for the Dallas Mavericks, the Nets, throughout its history, has never had someone quite like that for their franchise.
Nonetheless, the Nets, which has never won an NBA championship, made solid draft choices that established them as a competitive team in the league. With that said, let's take a look back at some of the best draft selections in Nets history.
Kerry Kittles
The New Jersey Nets drafted Kerry Kittles with the 8th overall pick the in the historic 1996 NBA draft. The Villanova standout played well in his rookie season. Playing all 82 games and starting in 57, Kittles put up nightly averages of 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals, while making the 1995-96 All-Rookie Second Team.
Kittles enjoyed seven productive seasons with the Nets, but missed the entire 2000-01 season due to a knee injury. His knee issues continued to derail his career and forced him to retire by the age of 30. Nonetheless, Kittles made his mark in New Jersey despite playing all but 11 games of his career with the franchise (he played 11 in an injury-riddled final season with the L.A. Clippers).
Kittles never made an All-Star team, but he was as steady as they get. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard finished his Nets career with the 8th most points in franchise history. He also ranks 3rd in steals and 2nd in 3-point field goals.
Kenyon Martin
After landing the first overall pick in a relatively weak 2000 NBA draft, New Jersey used the pick to select Kenyon Martin.
During the 2001 off-season, the Nets acquired All-NBA point guard Jason Kidd. Martin, with his motor and athleticism, became the perfect running-mate for Kidd and New Jersey emerged as one of the elite teams in the East. Together, along with a steady supporting cast of reliable veterans, Kidd and Martin led the Nets to two straight Finals appearances from 2002 and 2003. Unfortunately, they lost both Finals to the Lakers and Spurs, respectively.
In the 2003-04 season, Martin made his lone All-Star appearance with averages of 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Unfortunately, this proved to be his final season with the Nets.
Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez is now one of the best perimeter-shooting in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks. But before he became “Splash Mountain” under coach Mike Budenholzer's system, Lopez his first nine seasons in the NBA with the Nets.
The Nets selected Lopez as the 10th overall pick in 2008. As a 7-footer, the Stanford standout played mostly inside the paint, which is very much the opposite of how he plays today. With the Nets, Lopez became an All-Star in 2013 while establishing himself as one of the better scoring big men in the league. The 32-year old enjoyed his most productive years with the franchise, posting three 20-plus point seasons (excluding 2013-14 where he played just 17 games).
In nine seasons with Brooklyn/New Jersey, Lopez turned in averages of 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks. He also finished his Nets career with the most points, most field goals, as well as the most blocks in franchise history.
Derrick Coleman
After a standout four-year college career in Syracuse, the Nets selected Derrick Coleman as the top pick of the 1990 NBA draft. The lefty forward instantly made an impact in his debut campaign en route to winning the 1990-91 Rookie of the Year award.
Coleman posted three consecutive 20-point, 11-rebound seasons from the 1992-93 season to the 1994-95 season. He also made the 1994 All-Star team, while leading the Nets to three straight playoff appearances from 1992 to 1994. Unfortunately, after his final season with the Nets in 1994-95, Coleman's career began to tail off. More so, he never experienced the same success that he had in New Jersey.
Despite the relative success with the Nets, Coleman established himself as one of the most controversial players in the league. Anecdotes of missed practices, criticism of his coaches, and refusal to enter a game became the talking point for his career.
Nonetheless, as mentioned, Coleman enjoyed his most productive seasons in New Jersey. In five seasons with the Nets, Coleman turned in averages of 19.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
Buck Williams
The New Jersey Nets selected Charles “Buck” Williams with the 3rd overall pick in the 1981 NBA draft. Things started to look bright for the struggling Nets franchise after Williams' promising debut campaign. The Maryland standout became an All-Star in his first season and also won the league's top rookie honors in the 1981-82 season.
Williams provided steady scoring and relentless rebounding, becoming a double-double machine for the Nets. He helped lead the Nets to five straight postseason appearances from 1981-82 to 1985-86, where he made the All-Star team thrice and the All-NBA second team in 1983.
The Nets began to tail off after 1985-86, but Buck Williams continued to produce well for them. In eight seasons with New Jersey, the 6-foot-8 bruiser averaged 16.4 points and 11.9 rebounds, which are easily his most productive years in the NBA.
Williams still holds the record for most games played in Nets history with 635. Likewise, he is no. 1 in rebounds, second in points (Brook Lopez surpassed him by just 4 points), and third in blocked shots.
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