The questions have been asked for the better part of seven years: Is Richard Jefferson a No. 1 player? Is he the type of star you can build a team around?
We're about to find out.
With Vince Carter sidelined indefinitely with a Grade 1 (mild) ankle sprain, the pressure to fill the scoring void -- and thereby keep the Nets afloat in the Atlantic Division -- will fall on Jefferson. The 27-year-old forward has been the key beneficiary of coach Lawrence Frank's changes to the offense, which now includes more motion principles similar to what the Nets ran in Jefferson's first two seasons. Through the first seven games, Jefferson is averaging 26.9 points on 49.1 percent shooting, and he's made 97.1 percent from the free throw line.
"R.J.'s ahead of the game because he knows the offense inside and out," Nets guard Jason Kidd said recently. "Since he knows it, he knows where he's going to get his shots."
A slashing forward, Jefferson has benefited (as many have) from playing next to Kidd, who single-handedly elevates the games of others. While Richardson's perimeter game has improved significantly since his rookie season -- in '01-02 he was a 23.2 percent three-point shooter; this season he is shooting 41.2 percent -- he still relies heavily on his athleticism to score. Moreover, Jefferson has never had the pressure of leading a team, having played third fiddle to Kidd and Kenyon Martin and now Kidd and Carter.
Still, it's not as if he has shied away from it. Jefferson has told me repeatedly over the years that his biggest individual goal was to make the All-Star team, a feat he has yet to accomplish. (The closest he came was probably the 2004-2005 season, when he was leading the Nets in scoring and rebounding before rupturing a ligament in his wrist in December). He has questioned whether he could accomplish that in New Jersey while offering little resistance when trade rumors had him linked to Chicago.
There is no question Jefferson wants to be The Man. But can he step up his game enough to do it? With the game tied and the clock winding down against the Hornets on Monday, it was Nenad Krstic taking the shot, an errant 15-footer that set up Chris Paul's game-winning layup at the other end. With the Hornets up two, it was Antoine Wright launching a potential game-tying buzzer-beater.
Those are the moments during which Jefferson needs to emerge to show that he is capable of earning the title he craves.
Tatiana Golovin
Lucia Dvorska
Yankees' World Championships
Back in Time: November 6
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Jefferson has the potential to elevate his game to an All-Star level. In 2005 he was looking very impressive. Now that he's added a good outside shot there aren't very many players that can stop him, especially with Jason Kidd setting him up for easy baskets throughout the game to keep him in a rythm.
Can he be a crunch time player? Yes, if he wants it bad enough. It's a mindset that he's never really been forced to acquire, so it should be interesting to follow his progress.
ben's_jamin
Egnar , CO
Total Comments (4)
Jefferson is a good player who knows the role he needs to play on his team and that is his biggest strength. Is he a superstar player in the waiting: No. Would you want him taking the last shot in a game: Yes, provided the ball is not in his hands in every close contest... I just don't think he has the one on one tools to create his own shot against the L's top defenders. Nor do I see him being able to beat night after night of constant double and/or triple teams, which studs must do - see: Kobe, Nash or even Carmelo... hell, I'd put Jamal Crawford well ahead of Jefferson in a last shot situation. As a Superstar you must demand and perform against a double team at least 80% of any given game. He has all the tools of a superstar, but he's like a young Michael Finley in that he has a definite ceiling and that ceiling looks like it has "Phenomenal Role Player" written all over it.
EeE
Total Comments (1)
As a Raptors fan, I remember Jeffersons tough basket on Bosh to win game 6 and the series last year...That was a big time, crunch time, bucket. Jefferson is a stud. Build your team around? Maybe not, but he is more of an all star than Vince "I'm always injured and will never play to my potential" Carter.
DMIze
Total Comments (1)
Hey Chris Mannix, in the 5th paragraph, who is 'Richardson'? Time to fire your editor :)
his_majesty1
Phoenix , AZ
Total Comments (53)
Jefferson isn't a superstar. He's a great a good player and great athlete, but he's not one of the elite players in the NBA. Also, he's not an up-and-coming player, he's 27 and has been around for awhile. I know he's played with bigger names and may have been overshadowed, but the Nets were never THAT good, and legit stars can shine no matter who is on their team. See Shawn Marion and any one of the players on the Pistons the last few years.
If RJ was that good, we'd already know it. .
And this is coming from an Arizona alum who watched him play in college. RJ's a good player, but he can't carry a squad.
Mr. Henry
Philadelphia , PA
Total Comments (33)
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