Micheal Ray Richardson averaged 3.0 steals per game in the 1984-85 season.
The Nets have had some prolific defenders in their franchise history, including some players who led the league in steals in a given year. Read on to learn more about the top steals per game seasons in Nets history.
Micheal Ray Richardson (1985) – 3.0 steals per game
Richardson was one of the best defenders to ever suit up for the Nets. In an era where defensive skills were essential to have success in the NBA, Richardson carved out a reputation for being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He averaged at least 2.0 swipes per game in all but one of his eight seasons in the NBA, and the 3.0 steals per game he averaged in the 1984-85 season were the second-best mark of his career. He also led the NBA in that category during that campaign, ranking ahead of players such as Johnny Moore, Fat Lever, Michael Jordan and Doc Rivers.
Eddie Jordan (1980) – 2.7 steals per game
Jordan played for the Nets for parts of four different seasons. He was traded as a rookie in 1977-78 from Cleveland to New Jersey, spent two full campaigns with the organization and was later traded to the Lakers in 1980-81. Jordan had arguably the best season of his career in 1979-80, averaging career-high marks in points (13.3), assists (6.8) and steals per game (2.7). He averaged at least 2.5 steals per game in his two full seasons with the Nets, and he ranked second in the league in SPG in 1979-90, finishing behind another player who’d later play for the Nets in his career: Micheal Ray Richardson.
Kendall Gill (1999) – 2.7 steals per game
Gill’s 2.7 steals per game in the 1998-99 season ranks as the joint third-best season in Nets history in that particular category. It was also enough to lead the league in that campaign, as his 2.7 SPG ranked ahead of players such as Eddie Jones (2.5), Allen Iverson (2.3), Jason Kidd (2.3), Doug Christie (2.3) and Anfernee Hardaway (2.2). It was also the lone campaign in which Gill would average more than 2.0 steals per game in his 15-year career in the NBA.
Micheal Ray Richardson (1986) – 2.7 steals per game
Fresh off leading the NBA in steals per game in the 1984-85 season, Richardson was once again one of the elite on-ball defenders in the league. However, he didn’t lead the league in steals per game in the 1985-86 campaign despite tallying 2.7 per contest. He ranked second behind Alvin Robertson, who averaged an impressive 3.7 swipes per appearance. The 1985-86 season would end up being Richardson’s final year in the NBA.
Eddie Jordan (1979) – 2.5 steals per game
Jordan ranks eighth all-time in franchise history in steals with 562 over his four seasons with the club. He had two seasons that rank among the best ever for the Nets in terms of steals, including in 1979 when he swiped 2.5 steals per game. He tied for the league lead in steals per game and the overall steals lead with 201.
