1993-1994 Stats: 77 GP, 36.1 MPG, 20.2 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 44.7 FG%, 31.4 3P%, 77.4 FT%
1993-1994 Advanced: 53.4 TS%, 46.3 eFG%, 21.4 PER, 111 ORtg, 102 DRtg, 9.9 WS
All-Star Team? Yes
Team: 45-37, lost in first round to New York Knicks (3-1)
BY KRISTIAN WINFIELD
With Brook Lopez out and a current shortage of consistent bigs, the Nets would kill right about now to have someone as talented as Derrick Coleman on their roster. And if Andray Blatche would get in shape and play basketball the way he’s capable, he’d still only be half the threat Coleman was.
The word “dynamic” is constantly overused in sports, but for good reason; it’s almost the only word that can describe players with a certain unexplainable talent level.
Derrick Coleman was one of those guys.
Here was a six-foot-10 guy who not only grabbed 10+ rebounds every game, but could knock down the three and put the ball on the floor to score at the basket at will. Coleman was a player who would run back on defense to neutralize any shot attempt at the basket, then run back up court to posterize the same guy whose futile attempt to score was just denied.
As the first overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, Coleman averaged 18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds in his first season, earning Rookie of the Year honors in the process. However, as a Net, he would never advance past the first round of the playoffs.
He holds no NBA records or jaw-dropping individual awards, but Derrick Coleman was a player that could dominate in any time period. And he deserves a spot on the Nets’ All-Time All-Star squad.
Next: Armen Gilliam
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