Last Updated on July 30, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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

The 1977–78 New Jersey Nets relied on a balanced offence led by Mike Newlin and John Williamson, who shared the scoring load from the backcourt. Rich Kelley anchored the interior with strong rebounding and efficient frontcourt production, while Eddie Jordan directed the offence as the primary playmaker. The Nets’ strengths were balanced scoring and rebounding, although inconsistent shooting efficiency and defensive play limited their overall effectiveness.

Roster

No. Player Pos Height Weight Birth Date Age College/From
10 John Williamson SG 6’2″ 185 lbs Nov 10, 1951 26 New Mexico State
11 Al Skinner SG 6’5″ 190 lbs Jun 16, 1952 25 UMass
14 Mike Dabney SG 6’3″ 185 lbs May 20, 1953 24 Rutgers
15 Bernard Toone SF 6’9″ 190 lbs Jul 14, 1956 21 Marquette
20 Eddie Jordan PG 6’1″ 170 lbs Jan 29, 1955 23 Rutgers
21 George Johnson C 6’11” 205 lbs Dec 18, 1948 29 Dillard
22 Bubbles Hawkins SG 6’2″ 180 lbs Jun 30, 1954 23 Illinois State
23 Tim Bassett PF 6’8″ 225 lbs Apr 1, 1951 26 Georgia
24 Jan van Breda Kolff SF 6’7″ 195 lbs Dec 5, 1951 26 Vanderbilt
25 Kim Hughes C 6’11” 220 lbs Jan 12, 1952 26 Wisconsin
30 Bernard King SF 6’7″ 205 lbs Dec 4, 1956 21 Tennessee
31 James Bailey PF 6’9″ 220 lbs May 5, 1957 20 Rutgers
32 Joe C. Meriweather C 6’10” 215 lbs Oct 26, 1953 24 Southern Illinois
33 Bernard Rencher SF 6’6″ 195 lbs Mar 16, 1953 24 St. John’s
35 Cliff Robinson PF 6’9″ 225 lbs Mar 13, 1960 18 USC

Note: Not all players listed may have played significant minutes. Some were bench players or had limited appearances.

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%
John Williamson SG 26 33 — 38.8 29.5 3.2 2.5 1.4 0.3 3.1 25.9 11.8 .454 — — — 7.0 6.0 .857
Bernard King SF 21 79 — 39.1 24.2 9.5 2.4 1.5 0.5 3.9 21.1 10.1 .479 — — — 5.8 4.0 .677
Kevin Porter PG 27 74 — 36.3 16.2 2.7 10.8 1.6 0.2 4.7 13.8 6.5 .470 — — — 4.1 3.2 .765
Al Skinner SG 25 8 — 34.6 15.1 6.5 4.1 1.6 0.6 3.6 12.6 5.1 .406 — — — 5.5 4.9 .886
Darnell Hillman PF 28 45 — 27.1 13.1 7.5 1.1 1.1 1.0 2.4 11.1 5.2 .471 — — — 4.6 2.6 .576
Howard Porter SF 29 55 — 22.1 12.8 4.8 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.9 10.8 5.3 .495 — — — 2.7 2.2 .811
Bubbles Hawkins SG 23 15 — 22.9 10.9 3.3 2.5 1.5 0.9 2.9 10.0 4.6 .460 — — — 1.9 1.7 .862
Bob Carrington SG 24 37 — 27.9 10.4 3.0 1.5 1.2 0.3 1.8 10.6 4.2 .401 — — — 2.6 1.9 .742
Eddie Jordan PG 23 51 — 20.4 10.0 2.1 2.8 2.2 0.4 1.8 9.5 3.8 .407 — — — 3.0 2.3 .788
Louie Nelson SG 26 25 — 14.1 8.5 2.0 1.2 0.8 0.2 1.6 7.9 3.3 .416 — — — 2.9 1.9 .658
George Johnson C 29 81 — 29.8 8.7 9.6 1.4 1.0 3.4 2.7 8.9 3.5 .395 — — — 2.3 1.6 .719
Wilson Washington PF 22 24 — 21.8 8.8 5.9 0.4 0.7 1.5 2.2 7.8 3.8 .492 — — — 2.0 1.1 .553
Bird Averitt SG 25 21 — 19.5 8.3 1.6 3.2 0.8 0.0 2.6 9.0 3.3 .367 — — — 2.1 1.7 .800
Mark Crow SF 23 15 — 10.3 5.6 1.8 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.8 5.3 2.3 .438 — — — 1.3 0.9 .700
Tim Bassett PF 26 65 — 22.7 5.4 6.2 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.2 5.9 2.3 .388 — — — 1.5 0.8 .515
Dave Wohl PG 28 10 — 11.8 3.5 0.4 1.3 0.3 0.0 1.6 3.4 1.2 .353 — — — 1.2 1.1 .917
Jan van Breda Kolff SF 26 68 — 20.9 4.4 3.6 1.5 0.8 0.7 1.1 4.3 1.6 .366 — — — 1.8 1.3 .707
Kim Hughes C 25 56 — 15.3 2.2 4.3 0.7 0.9 0.9 1.0 2.9 1.0 .356 — — — 0.5 0.2 .310
Totals — — 82 — 242.7 106.7 47.6 22.9 10.5 7.7 21.6 97.6 43.3 .443 — — — 28.1 20.1 .717

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%
John Williamson SG 26 33 — 38.8 27.3 3.0 2.3 1.3 0.3 2.8 24.0 10.9 .454 — — — 6.5 5.5 .857
Bernard King SF 21 79 — 39.1 22.2 8.7 2.2 1.4 0.4 3.6 19.4 9.3 .479 — — — 5.4 3.6 .677
Louie Nelson SG 26 25 — 14.1 21.6 5.0 3.0 2.0 0.6 4.1 20.1 8.4 .416 — — — 7.4 4.9 .658
Howard Porter SF 29 55 — 22.1 20.9 7.8 1.2 0.8 1.0 1.5 17.5 8.7 .495 — — — 4.4 3.6 .811
Mark Crow SF 23 15 — 10.3 19.6 6.3 1.9 1.2 0.2 2.8 18.7 8.2 .438 — — — 4.7 3.3 .700
Eddie Jordan PG 23 51 — 20.4 17.7 3.7 5.0 3.9 0.6 3.2 16.7 6.8 .407 — — — 5.2 4.1 .788
Darnell Hillman PF 28 45 — 27.1 17.4 10.0 1.4 1.4 1.3 3.2 14.8 7.0 .471 — — — 6.0 3.5 .576
Bubbles Hawkins SG 23 15 — 22.9 17.1 5.2 3.9 2.3 1.4 4.5 15.7 7.2 .460 — — — 3.0 2.6 .862
Al Skinner SG 25 8 — 34.6 15.7 6.8 4.3 1.7 0.6 3.8 13.1 5.3 .406 — — — 5.7 5.1 .886
Bird Averitt SG 25 21 — 19.5 15.3 2.9 6.0 1.5 0.1 4.8 16.5 6.1 .367 — — — 4.0 3.2 .800
Wilson Washington PF 22 24 — 21.8 14.5 9.8 0.6 1.2 2.4 3.6 12.9 6.3 .492 — — — 3.2 1.8 .553
Bob Carrington SG 24 37 — 27.9 13.5 3.9 1.9 1.5 0.4 2.3 13.7 5.5 .401 — — — 3.4 2.5 .742
Kevin Porter PG 27 74 — 36.3 16.0 2.7 10.7 1.6 0.2 4.7 13.7 6.4 .470 — — — 4.1 3.1 .765
Dave Wohl PG 28 10 — 11.8 10.7 1.2 4.0 0.9 0.0 4.9 10.4 3.7 .353 — — — 3.7 3.4 .917
George Johnson C 29 81 — 29.8 10.5 11.6 1.7 1.2 4.1 3.3 10.8 4.3 .395 — — — 2.8 2.0 .719
Tim Bassett PF 26 65 — 22.7 8.5 9.9 1.5 1.5 0.8 2.0 9.4 3.6 .388 — — — 2.4 1.2 .515
Jan van Breda Kolff SF 26 68 — 20.9 7.6 6.2 2.7 1.3 1.2 1.9 7.4 2.7 .366 — — — 3.1 2.2 .707
Kim Hughes C 25 56 — 15.3 5.2 10.1 1.6 2.1 2.1 2.4 6.7 2.4 .356 — — — 1.2 0.4 .310

Regular Season Totals

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
Bernard King SF 21 79 — 3092 1909 751 193 122 36 311 1665 798 .479 — — — 462 313 .677
Kevin Porter PG 27 74 — 2686 1197 199 801 118 15 348 1024 481 .470 — — — 307 235 .765
John Williamson SG 26 33 — 1282 973 107 82 47 10 101 854 388 .454 — — — 230 197 .857
Howard Porter SF 29 55 — 1216 706 262 40 26 33 50 592 293 .495 — — — 148 120 .811
George Johnson C 29 81 — 2411 703 779 111 78 274 221 721 285 .395 — — — 185 133 .719
Darnell Hillman PF 28 45 — 1220 590 338 49 49 44 109 501 236 .471 — — — 205 118 .576
Eddie Jordan PG 23 51 — 1042 511 108 145 114 18 92 482 196 .407 — — — 151 119 .788
Bob Carrington SG 24 37 — 1032 386 112 55 43 12 66 392 157 .401 — — — 97 72 .742
Tim Bassett PF 26 65 — 1474 348 404 63 62 33 80 384 149 .388 — — — 97 50 .515
Jan van Breda Kolff SF 26 68 — 1419 301 244 105 52 46 73 292 107 .366 — — — 123 87 .707
Louie Nelson SG 26 25 — 353 212 49 29 20 6 40 197 82 .416 — — — 73 48 .658
Wilson Washington PF 22 24 — 523 210 142 9 17 35 53 187 92 .492 — — — 47 26 .553
Bird Averitt SG 25 21 — 409 174 33 68 17 1 55 188 69 .367 — — — 45 36 .800
Bubbles Hawkins SG 23 15 — 343 163 50 37 22 13 43 150 69 .460 — — — 29 25 .862
Kim Hughes C 25 56 — 854 123 240 38 49 49 57 160 57 .356 — — — 29 9 .310
Al Skinner SG 25 8 — 277 121 52 33 13 5 29 101 41 .406 — — — 44 39 .886
Mark Crow SF 23 15 — 154 84 27 8 5 1 12 80 35 .438 — — — 20 14 .700
Dave Wohl PG 28 10 — 118 35 4 13 3 0 16 34 12 .353 — — — 12 11 .917
Totals — — 82 — 19905 8746 3901 1879 857 631 1756 8004 3547 .443 — — — 2304 1652 .717

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK (SPG+BPG) Impact Index* Notes Awards
Bernard King Alpha Scorer / Focal Offense 39.1 High 24.2 9.5 2.4 2.0 19.05 Offensive centerpiece as a rookie; heavy isolation usage, strong rebounding wing, clear franchise scorer from day one. ROY-3
John Williamson Lead Scorer / Shot Creator 38.8 High 29.5 3.2 2.5 1.7 18.45 Elite volume scorer; carried major scoring burden in limited games with aggressive perimeter shot creation. —
Kevin Porter Primary Playmaker 36.3 High 16.2 2.7 10.8 1.8 15.75 Led the NBA in assists; offense flowed through him as the Nets’ clear table-setter and tempo controller.  NBA Assists Leader
Al Skinner Secondary Scorer / Combo Wing 34.6 Medium-High 15.1 6.5 4.1 2.2 13.95 Small-sample contributor who handled scoring, rebounding, and ball-movement duties when available.  —
George Johnson Defensive Anchor / Rim Protector 29.8 Low 8.7 9.6 1.4 4.4 12.05 Interior defensive specialist; shot-blocking and rebounding were central to his on-court value. —
Darnell Hillman Athletic Forward / Energy Big 27.1 Medium 13.1 7.5 1.1 2.1 11.90 Provided athleticism, finishing, and defensive versatility in the frontcourt rotation. —
Howard Porter Slashing Wing / Efficiency Scorer 22.1 Medium 12.8 4.8 0.7 1.1 9.70 Efficient scorer who thrived as a cutter and transition finisher rather than a creator.  —
Bubbles Hawkins Scoring Guard / Instant Offense 22.9 Medium 10.9 3.3 2.5 2.4 9.55 Provided short-burst scoring and defensive activity off the bench.  —
Eddie Jordan Defensive Guard / Secondary Playmaker 20.4 Medium 10.0 2.1 2.8 2.6 8.75 Strong perimeter defender with disruptive steal rates; secondary ball-handling role.  —
Wilson Washington Interior Role Player 21.8 Low-Medium 8.8 5.9 0.4 2.2 8.65 Physical frontcourt contributor focused on rebounding and interior defense.  —
Bob Carrington Rotation Wing Scorer 27.9 Medium 10.4 3.0 1.5 1.5 8.20 Regular rotation wing supplying scoring and spacing without primary creation duties.  —
Tim Bassett Hustle Big / Rebounder 22.7 Low 5.4 6.2 1.0 1.5 7.05 Low-usage forward relied upon for rebounding, defense, and physical play. —
Bird Averitt Ball-Moving Guard 19.5 Low-Medium 8.3 1.6 3.2 0.8 6.95 Guard tasked with facilitating offense and maintaining ball flow rather than scoring. —
Louie Nelson Bench Scoring Guard 14.1 Low-Medium 8.5 2.0 1.2 1.0 6.35 Bench contributor providing scoring spurts in limited minutes. —
Jan van Breda Kolff Versatile Wing / Glue Guy 20.9 Low 4.4 3.6 1.5 1.5 5.50 Low-usage wing focused on spacing, ball movement, and positional defense. —
Kim Hughes Reserve Center 15.3 Low 2.2 4.3 0.7 1.8 4.50 Backup big used primarily for size, rebounding, and rim protection. —
Mark Crow Depth Wing 10.3 Low 5.6 1.8 0.5 0.4 4.15 End-of-rotation wing providing spot minutes and basic scoring. —
Dave Wohl Emergency Point Guard 11.8 Low 3.5 0.4 1.3 0.3 2.75 Short-term depth guard used sparingly for ball-handling support. —