Brooklyn Nets: Randy Foye Looks to Provide Leadership and Give Back

The Brooklyn Nets spent the offseason acquiring a mix of youth and veterans. Randy Foye is among the vets set to join the team this year.

Randy Foye has spent 10 years in the NBA on six different teams. In various team environments, he has seen what it’s like to serve as a backcourt leader and as a role player. Foye will bring a lot to the table when he joins the Brooklyn Nets this season.

Foye’s role has varied on the different teams he played for. He started in at least 60 games a season on three different teams. This consists of his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his only season with the Utah Jazz, and his first year with the Denver Nuggets. Foye averaged the best numbers of his career in Minnesota, posting 13 points and 3.7 assists per game.

"“One of the things I’m looking to bring is leadership.”-Foye on his role in Brooklyn"

With all this knowledge about different team environments, Foye will provide invaluable experience to the young Nets team. Foye averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting at 36.9 percent from long distance through his ten seasons. His background as a two-way guard can benefit players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick, and even rookies Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Foye recognizes that he will serve as a much-needed veteran presence in the locker room with the Nets.

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Foye compared his new role as a leader with the Nets to what Kevin Garnett meant to him while he was in Minnesota. “He (Garnett) was on me, but everything he told me, he practiced what he preached,” Foye said. He got on the floor, dove on the floor and a lot of the things that he did he led by example. He’d say something to me about it and I’d do it 10 times faster or run 10 times harder because I saw him do it before me. That’s something that stuck with me since day one. That’s something I’m trying to pass on to these young guys here.”

At the Nets introductory press conference in July, head coach Kenny Atkinson only had good things to say about Foye. “Randy is a proven veteran in this league,” said Atkinson. “Me and [general manager] Sean [Marks] were thrilled when we had the chance to get him. He can play both positions – the 2 and the 1 – great character fit, great system fit for our team.”

Foye also wants to give back to the community. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey, so coming to Brooklyn will place him in familiar surroundings. The location was another factor that influenced him to come to the Nets.

Coming to Brooklyn means much more to Foye than just joining a new team. “I came up in a tough neighborhood in Newark and I just wanted to give back,” Foye said. Returning to his roots will give him the chance to serve as a positive role model in the community.

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Although his role and numbers have been declining in recent years, the Nets need both veteran leadership and young potential to build a solid foundation. Foye, along with Luis Scola, Trevor Booker, and Jeremy Lin, are the perfect examples of players that can provide this kind of veteran experience.