Small Forward: Julius Erving
How could I leave the greatest player in franchise history off this list?
It’s truly a shame the Nets had to sell his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers after the 1976 season. Surely, the Doctor would’ve been able to pad his rather short resume with the Nets.
Erving won the ABA MVP each of those three years while he brought home the only two championships for the franchise. He was the first truly explosive basketball player, beating the likes of David Thompson and Michael Jordan to the aerial acrobatics party. His afro flopped as he flew before a thunderous dunk was thrown down, but he had just as much finesse as he did power.
The up-tempo style of ABA basketball helped lead to inflated offensive stats, but Erving was tremendously efficient, and never fell in love with the three-point shot.
During his 252-game run with the New York Nets, the Doctor shot 51.6 percent on his twos and a respectable 34 percent on threes, but he enjoyed the slashing game much more.
His size and explosiveness made him a hellacious defender on the perimeter and in the paint, and Erving averaged more than two steals and two blocks as a Net.
