3 best draft steals in recent Nets history
By Mike Luciano
1. SF Richard Jefferson, 13th overall, 2001
Can a lottery pick truly be a steal, especially in the same draft that produced players like Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, and Tony Parker? Well, DeSagana Diop, Kedrick Brown, and Rodney White were all picked in the lottery ahead of Jefferson, and their careers never got out of the doldrums of mediocrity. Jefferson, on the other hand, was a valued member of the Nets during the most successful period in team history, serving as Jason Kidd’s primary wing scoring outlet on New Jersey teams that won the Eastern Conference title in consecutive seasons.
After being traded from the Houston Rockets to New Jersey along with Jason Collins in exchange for No. 7 overall pick Eddie Griffin, Jefferson showed that his production under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson wasn’t a fluke, as he averaged 22.4 points per game during his fourth year in the league. While his production dipped slightly once Vince Carter arrived in New Jersey, and his long, somewhat nomadic NBA career makes him look more like a veteran journeyman than a former star, Jefferson was one of the game’s premier two-way wings in his prime, and he was able to show off skills on Byron Scott’s Finals teams. Considering how Griffin never approached Jefferson’s tier as a player, Thorn is probably still ecstatic he was able to secure Jefferson in a chaotic 2001 Draft.
