Last Updated on January 26, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

League Search Page > NBA > New Jersey Nets > Roster & Statistics

Here is the New Jersey Nets (still known as the New York Nets) 1971–72 season roster and regular season player statistics.

Note: The team was still officially the New York Nets in 1971–72, based on Long Island. They played home games at Island Garden and Nassau Coliseum during the season.

Team Roster – 1971–72 New York Nets

# Player Pos Height Weight Birthdate College
10 Bill Melchionni G 6’1″ 180 lb Oct 19, 1944 Villanova
11 Ollie Taylor G 6’2″ 194 lb Mar 7, 1947 Houston
12 Luther Green F 6’7″ 210 lb Nov 13, 1946 LIU Brooklyn
14 John Roche G 6’1″ 170 lb Sep 26, 1949 South Carolina
15 Walt Simon F 6’6″ 200 lb Dec 1, 1939 Benedict College
20 Rick Barry F 6’7″ 205 lb Mar 28, 1944 Miami (FL)
21 Mike Gale G 6’4″ 185 lb Jul 18, 1950 Elizabeth City State
22 Willie Sojourner F/C 6’8″ 225 lb Sep 10, 1943 Weber State
23 John Baum F 6’5″ 200 lb Jun 17, 1946 Temple
24 Billy Paultz C 6’11” 200 lb Mar 30, 1948 Saint John’s
25 Steve Jones G/F 6’5″ 200 lb Apr 29, 1942 Oregon
44 Jim Ard C 6’8″ 215 lb Sep 19, 1948 Cincinnati

Regular Season Per Game

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 80 80 45.2 31.5 7.5 4.1 1.9 0.0 3.3 24.6 11.3 .458 3.0 0.9 .308 9.1 8.0 .878
Bill Melchionni PG 27 80 80 41.6 21.0 3.1 8.4 0.6 0.0 3.9 16.8 8.4 .499 0.2 0.0 .105 5.2 4.2 .808
Billy Paultz C 23 83 83 34.0 14.5 12.5 1.5 0.3 0.0 2.6 12.3 6.0 .488 0.0 0.0 .000 3.6 2.5 .692
John Roche SG 22 82 82 31.6 12.9 2.1 3.2 0.5 0.0 2.3 10.5 4.9 .469 0.4 0.1 .343 3.8 2.9 .772
Trooper Washington PF 27 80 80 31.4 11.0 9.4 2.0 3.5 0.0 2.4 8.5 4.8 .571 0.0 0.0 .000 2.1 1.3 .645
Ollie Taylor SG 24 82 82 23.1 8.6 4.0 1.9 1.6 0.0 1.9 6.6 3.0 .452 0.1 0.0 .000 3.8 2.7 .708
Gene Moore C 26 68 68 16.9 7.4 6.0 0.6 2.2 0.0 1.9 6.5 3.1 .476 0.0 0.0 .333 1.6 1.1 .726
Manny Leaks C 26 9 9 15.8 6.0 4.8 0.4 1.2 0.0 0.6 7.9 2.7 .338 0.0 0.0 .000 1.0 0.7 .667
Jim Ard C 23 71 71 16.1 5.6 5.2 0.5 1.7 0.0 1.4 5.0 2.2 .450 0.1 0.0 .250 1.8 1.1 .606
Johnny Baum SF 25 44 44 12.5 5.6 3.1 0.4 1.2 0.0 0.5 3.9 2.3 .606 0.0 0.0 .000 1.2 0.9 .788
Joe DePre SG 24 46 46 12.2 4.2 1.1 1.0 0.3 0.0 1.4 4.4 1.7 .393 0.1 0.0 .333 1.2 0.7 .630
Gary Zeller SG 24 12 12 6.8 1.5 0.8 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.8 2.5 0.6 .233 0.1 0.0 .000 0.5 0.3 .667
Bob Greacen SF 24 4 4 5.0 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.3 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000
Sonny Dove PF 26 2 2 4.5 3.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.0 1.0 2.5 1.0 .400 0.0 0.0 .000 1.5 1.0 .667
Elnardo Webster – 23 8 8 1.8 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.8 0.4 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 0.3 0.0 .000
Jarrett Durham – 22 1 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000
Totals – – 84 – 243.3 112.8 49.5 21.9 15.3 0.0 19.7 91.6 44.0 .480 3.8 1.1 .289 30.8 23.7 .769

Playoff Per Game

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 18 18 41.6 30.8 6.5 3.8 3.8 0.0 3.4 23.8 11.3 .473 3.4 1.3 .377 8.1 6.9 .856
John Roche SG 22 18 18 42.4 23.6 1.7 4.7 1.7 0.0 2.9 19.1 9.1 .475 1.7 0.6 .333 6.6 4.9 .754
Billy Paultz C 23 19 19 42.6 17.7 15.2 1.5 3.0 0.0 2.7 14.5 7.4 .507 0.1 0.0 .000 4.7 3.0 .633
Ollie Taylor SG 24 19 19 36.9 11.1 5.3 2.5 5.3 0.0 3.6 9.5 4.2 .439 0.1 0.0 .000 3.8 2.8 .736
Bill Melchionni PG 27 11 11 34.2 14.5 2.4 6.3 2.4 0.0 2.9 13.8 5.5 .401 0.2 0.0 .000 4.2 3.4 .804
Trooper Washington PF 27 18 18 30.4 7.9 9.6 2.4 0.8 0.0 1.4 5.9 3.6 .598 0.0 0.0 .000 1.3 0.8 .583
Johnny Baum SF 25 17 17 17.8 7.5 4.2 0.4 0.6 0.0 1.2 6.3 3.5 .551 0.0 0.0 .000 0.9 0.6 .625
Jim Ard C 23 13 13 9.0 2.4 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.5 2.5 1.1 .438 0.2 0.0 .000 0.8 0.2 .300
Gene Moore C 26 18 18 6.2 2.2 1.6 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.6 2.0 0.9 .444 0.0 0.0 .000 0.4 0.4 .875
Joe DePre SG 24 14 14 5.3 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.0 0.4 1.7 0.4 .208 0.1 0.1 .500 0.6 0.3 .500
Gary Zeller SG 24 3 3 3.0 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.3 0.3 1.000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.3 0.0 .000
Totals – – 19 – 240.0 107.5 45.9 18.9 21.0 0.0 17.7 88.8 42.4 .477 5.3 1.8 .340 28.4 21.0 .740

Regular Season Per 36 Minutes

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 80 80 45.2 25.1 6.0 3.3 1.5 0.0 2.6 19.6 9.0 .458 2.4 0.7 .308 7.3 6.4 .878
Sonny Dove PF 26 2 2 9.0 24.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 8.0 20.0 8.0 .400 0.0 0.0 .000 12.0 8.0 .667
Johnny Baum SF 25 44 44 12.5 16.1 8.8 1.1 3.5 0.0 1.6 11.1 6.7 .606 0.0 0.0 .000 5.3 2.7 .788
Gene Moore C 26 68 68 16.9 15.7 12.8 1.3 4.7 0.0 3.9 13.9 6.6 .476 0.1 0.0 .333 3.3 2.4 .726
Elnardo Webster – 23 8 8 14.0 15.4 2.6 2.6 0.0 0.0 5.1 15.4 7.7 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 5.1 0.0 .000
Billy Paultz C 23 83 83 34.0 15.3 13.2 1.6 3.4 0.0 2.7 13.0 6.3 .488 0.0 0.0 .000 3.8 2.6 .692
John Roche SG 22 82 82 31.6 14.7 2.4 3.6 0.6 0.0 2.9 11.9 5.6 .469 0.5 0.2 .343 4.3 3.3 .772
Manny Leaks C 26 9 9 15.8 13.7 10.9 1.0 2.8 0.0 1.3 18.0 6.1 .338 0.0 0.0 .000 8.1 1.5 .667
Ollie Taylor SG 24 82 82 23.1 13.5 6.3 2.9 2.4 0.0 2.9 10.3 4.7 .452 0.1 0.0 .000 5.9 4.2 .708
Trooper Washington PF 27 80 80 31.4 12.6 10.8 2.3 4.0 0.0 2.7 9.7 5.6 .571 0.0 0.0 .000 2.4 1.5 .645
Jim Ard C 23 71 71 16.1 12.5 11.6 1.1 3.9 0.0 3.1 11.1 5.0 .450 0.3 0.1 .250 4.0 2.4 .606
Joe DePre SG 24 46 46 12.2 12.4 3.1 2.9 1.0 0.0 4.2 12.9 5.1 .393 0.4 0.1 .333 3.5 2.2 .630
Gary Zeller SG 24 12 12 6.8 7.9 4.4 0.9 2.2 0.0 4.0 13.2 3.1 .233 0.4 0.0 .000 2.6 1.8 .667
Bob Greacen SF 24 4 4 5.0 3.6 3.6 1.8 1.8 0.0 3.6 3.6 1.8 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 1.8 0.0 .000
Jarrett Durham – 22 1 1 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 36.0 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000
Totals – – 83 – 36.3 107.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 88.8 42.4 .477 5.3 1.8 .340 28.4 21.0 .740

Playoff Per 36 Minutes

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 18 18 41.6 26.6 5.6 3.3 2.9 0.0 3.2 20.6 9.8 .473 2.9 1.1 .377 7.0 6.0 .856
John Roche SG 22 18 18 42.4 20.1 2.0 4.0 1.5 0.0 2.0 16.2 7.7 .475 1.4 0.5 .333 5.6 4.2 .754
Johnny Baum SF 25 17 17 17.8 15.3 8.6 0.8 1.2 0.0 4.1 12.8 7.0 .551 0.0 0.0 .000 1.9 1.2 .625
Bill Melchionni PG 27 11 11 34.2 15.2 2.5 6.6 2.5 0.0 3.1 14.6 5.8 .401 0.2 0.0 .000 4.4 3.5 .804
Billy Paultz C 23 19 19 42.6 15.0 12.8 1.3 2.5 0.0 3.3 12.3 6.2 .507 0.1 0.0 .000 4.0 2.5 .633
Gene Moore C 26 18 18 6.2 12.6 9.4 0.6 2.3 0.0 3.2 11.7 5.2 .444 0.0 0.0 .000 2.6 2.3 .875
Ollie Taylor SG 24 19 19 36.9 10.8 5.1 2.4 2.7 0.0 3.5 9.2 4.1 .439 0.1 0.0 .000 3.7 2.7 .736
Jim Ard C 23 13 13 9.0 9.5 8.6 1.2 0.9 0.0 1.8 9.8 4.3 .438 0.6 0.0 .000 3.1 0.9 .300
Trooper Washington PF 27 18 18 30.4 9.3 11.4 2.8 0.9 0.0 1.7 7.0 4.2 .598 0.0 0.0 .000 1.6 0.9 .583
Gary Zeller SG 24 3 3 3.0 8.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 12.0 4.0 4.0 1.000 0.0 0.0 .000 4.0 0.0 .000
Joe DePre SG 24 14 14 5.3 7.3 3.9 2.9 1.9 0.0 2.9 11.7 2.4 .208 1.0 0.5 .500 3.9 1.9 .500
Totals – – 19 – 36.3 157.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.0 6.2 .477 5.3 1.8 .340 28.4 21.0 .740

Regular Season Totals

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 80 80 3616 2518 602 327 155 447 263 1969 902 .458 237 73 .308 730 641 .878
Bill Melchionni PG 27 80 80 3326 1682 248 669 51 197 314 1346 672 .499 19 2 .105 416 336 .808
Billy Paultz C 23 83 83 2824 1203 1035 128 263 772 214 1021 498 .488 3 0 .000 299 207 .692
John Roche SG 22 82 82 2593 1058 172 259 45 127 188 859 403 .469 35 12 .343 311 240 .772
Trooper Washington PF 27 80 80 2510 881 750 161 281 469 188 678 387 .571 0 0 – 166 107 .645
Ollie Taylor SG 24 82 82 1891 708 330 153 128 202 153 542 245 .452 6 0 .000 308 218 .708
Gene Moore C 26 68 68 1149 502 409 40 149 260 126 445 212 .476 3 1 .333 106 77 .726
Jim Ard C 23 71 71 1145 397 368 34 124 244 98 353 159 .450 8 2 .250 127 77 .606
Johnny Baum SF 25 44 44 551 247 135 17 54 81 75 170 103 .606 0 0 – 52 41 .788
Joe DePre SG 24 46 46 562 194 49 45 16 33 80 201 79 .393 6 2 .333 54 34 .630
Manny Leaks C 26 9 9 142 54 43 4 11 32 10 71 24 .338 0 0 – 9 6 .667
Gary Zeller SG 24 12 12 82 18 10 2 5 5 16 30 7 .233 1 0 .000 6 4 .667
Sonny Dove PF 26 2 2 9 6 1 1 1 0 4 5 2 .400 0 0 – 3 2 .667
Elnardo Webster – 23 8 8 14 6 1 1 0 1 2 6 3 .500 0 0 – 2 0 .000
Bob Greacen SF 24 4 4 20 2 2 1 1 0 1 2 1 .500 0 0 – 0 0 –
Jarrett Durham – 22 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 –
Totals – – 84 – 20435 9476 4155 1842 1284 2871 1655 7698 3697 .480 318 92 .289 2589 1990 .769

Playoff Totals

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Rick Barry SF 27 18 18 749 554 117 69 61 67 61 429 203 .473 61 23 .377 146 125 .856
John Roche SG 22 18 18 763 425 31 84 53 42 42 343 163 .475 30 10 .333 118 89 .754
Billy Paultz C 23 19 19 809 337 288 29 51 74 74 276 140 .507 2 0 .000 90 57 .633
Ollie Taylor SG 24 19 19 702 211 100 47 68 60 60 180 79 .439 1 0 .000 72 53 .736
Bill Melchionni PG 27 11 11 376 159 26 69 32 32 32 152 61 .401 2 0 .000 46 37 .804
Trooper Washington PF 27 18 18 548 142 173 43 26 63 63 107 64 .598 0 0 – 24 14 .583
Johnny Baum SF 25 17 17 302 128 72 7 21 34 34 107 59 .551 0 0 – 16 10 .625
Gene Moore C 26 18 18 111 39 29 2 10 21 21 36 16 .444 0 0 – 8 7 .875
Jim Ard C 23 13 13 117 31 28 4 6 19 19 32 14 .438 2 0 .000 10 3 .300
Joe DePre SG 24 14 14 74 15 8 6 6 13 13 24 5 .208 2 1 .500 8 4 .500
Gary Zeller SG 24 3 3 9 2 1 0 3 7 7 1 1 1.000 0 0 – 1 0 .000
Totals – – 19 – 4560 2043 873 360 337 432 432 1687 805 .477 100 34 .340 539 399 .740

Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK Impact Index* Notes Awards
Rick Barry Elite Scoring & Creation Anchor 45.2 High 31.5 7.5 4.1 6.6 24.8 Hall of Fame forward known for scoring prowess, slashing drives, shooting versatility and elite passing for his position; key offensive focal point while still contributing significantly to rebounds and defensive activity. Barry was one of the few players to lead in scoring across NCAA, ABA, and NBA contexts in his career. AS
Bill Melchionni Floor General & Offensive Distributor 41.6 High 21.0 3.1 8.4 3.9 18.2 Veteran point guard with exceptional playmaking, aided league assist leadership in earlier ABA years and anchored Nets offense; his precision passing stabilized the team’s attack. AS
Billy Paultz Interior Two-Way Big Man 34.0 Mid 14.5 12.5 1.5 5.2 16.9 Strong rebounding center with consistent post scoring and defensive presence; multiple ABA All-Star selections and contributed significant interior minutes and rim altercations. —
Trooper Washington Versatile Frontcourt Contributor 31.4 Mid 11.0 9.4 2.0 2.4 12.1 Power forward with efficient interior scoring (high FG%) and solid rebounding; provided support alongside the Nets’ primary stars. (Adjusted classic ABA role context) —
John Roche Secondary Backcourt Scorer & Facilitator 31.6 Mid 12.9 2.1 3.2 5.1 11.6 Reliable scoring guard with secondary playmaking duties; helped balance offensive responsibilities away from primary stars. —
Ollie Taylor Perimeter Scoring Wing 23.1 Mid 8.6 4.0 1.9 3.8 9.2 Rotation wing scoring option adding offensive spacing and activity; provided bench scoring punch. —
Gene Moore Backup Big Man 16.9 Low-Mid 7.4 6.0 0.6 3.8 8.9 Limited minutes but contributed rebounding and interior scoring when called upon; typical depth big role. —
Jim Ard Depth Interior Role Player 16.1 Low 5.6 5.2 0.5 1.4 6.3 Provided bench interior minutes and helped with rebounding depth. —
Johnny Baum Bench Wing 12.5 Low 5.6 3.1 0.4 1.4 5.2 Backup wing offering occasional scoring and rebounding; role player. —
Joe DePre Reserve Guard 12.2 Low 4.2 1.1 1.0 2.4 4.4 Spot minutes providing brief scoring and playmaking. —
Manny Leaks Short Stint Big 15.8 Low 6.0 4.8 0.4 1.0 4.1 Brief involvement with limited broader impact. —
Gary Zeller Limited SG Sample 6.8 Low 1.5 0.8 0.2 1.6 1.0 Extremely limited minutes; minimal impact. —
Bob Greacen Minimal Role 5.0 Low 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.8 0.8 Very brief playing time with minimal contributions. —
Sonny Dove Very Brief PF Appearance 4.5 Low 3.0 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.8 Small sample size; negligible impact. —
Elnardo Webster Minimal Minutes 1.8 Low 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 Extremely limited presence. —
Jarrett Durham Did Not Play 1.0 Low 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 Did not have measurable impact in games. —