Last Updated on July 30, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > New Jersey Nets > Roster & Statistics
The 1978–79 New Jersey Nets were powered by Mike Newlin’s scoring, while Rich Kelley provided an effective interior presence with strong rebounding and efficient frontcourt production. Eddie Jordan served as the team’s primary playmaker, and John Williamson added valuable secondary scoring. The Nets relied on balanced offensive contributions and solid rebounding, but inconsistent shooting efficiency and defensive play limited their ability to compete consistently.
Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Birth Date | Age | College/From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Bubbles Hawkins | SG | 6’2″ | 180 lbs | Jun 30, 1954 | 24 | Illinois State |
| 30 | Bernard King | SF | 6’7″ | 205 lbs | Dec 4, 1956 | 22 | Tennessee |
| 10 | John Williamson | SG | 6’2″ | 185 lbs | Nov 10, 1951 | 27 | New Mexico State |
| 21 | George Johnson | C | 6’11” | 205 lbs | Dec 18, 1948 | 30 | Dillard |
| 20 | Eddie Jordan | PG | 6’1″ | 170 lbs | Jan 29, 1955 | 24 | Rutgers |
| 23 | Tim Bassett | PF | 6’8″ | 225 lbs | Apr 1, 1951 | 27 | Georgia |
| 24 | Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 6’7″ | 195 lbs | Dec 5, 1951 | 27 | Vanderbilt |
| 44 | Winford Boynes | SG | 6’6″ | 185 lbs | May 17, 1957 | 21 | USF (San Francisco) |
| 31 | Cliff Robinson | PF | 6’9″ | 225 lbs | Mar 13, 1960 | 19 | USC |
| 50 | Kelvin Ransey | PG | 6’1″ | 170 lbs | May 3, 1958 | 20 | Ohio State |
| 32 | Joe Meriweather | C | 6’10” | 215 lbs | Oct 26, 1953 | 25 | Southern Illinois |
| 25 | Kim Hughes | C | 6’11” | 220 lbs | Jan 12, 1952 | 27 | Wisconsin |
| 11 | Al Skinner | SG | 6’5″ | 190 lbs | Jun 16, 1952 | 26 | UMass |
Note: Some jersey numbers and minor roster changes may have occurred during the season.
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 | 27 | 74 | 33.1 | 22.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 3.1 | 18.5 | 8.6 | .465 | 5.9 | 5.0 | .854 | ||||
| Bernard King | SF | 22 | 82 | 34.9 | 21.6 | 8.2 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 16.6 | 8.7 | .522 | 7.5 | 4.3 | .564 | ||||
| Eric Money | PG | 23 | 47 | 30.5 | 16.7 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 3.5 | 14.4 | 6.9 | .481 | 3.9 | 2.9 | .743 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 82 | 27.6 | 12.4 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 4.9 | .418 | 3.3 | 2.6 | .777 | ||||
| Winford Boynes | SG | 21 | 69 | 17.0 | 9.3 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 8.6 | 3.7 | .430 | 2.4 | 1.9 | .787 | ||||
| Bob Elliott | PF | 23 | 14 | 20.1 | 8.8 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 2.9 | .562 | 4.0 | 2.9 | .732 | ||||
| Wilson Washington | PF | 23 | 62 | 18.4 | 8.1 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 7.0 | 3.5 | .502 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .635 | ||||
| Al Skinner | SG | 26 | 23 | 14.5 | 7.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 5.4 | 2.4 | .440 | 3.6 | 3.1 | .878 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 32 | 16.5 | 6.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 7.4 | 2.7 | .367 | 2.2 | 1.5 | .676 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 80 | 25.0 | 6.7 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 5.3 | 2.5 | .463 | 2.3 | 1.8 | .798 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 78 | 26.4 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 6.2 | 2.6 | .427 | 1.8 | 1.3 | .761 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 59 | 18.1 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 2.4 | .475 | 1.8 | 1.5 | .819 | ||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 32 | 20.6 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 5.5 | 2.3 | .423 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .770 | ||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 82 | 18.4 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .371 | 1.6 | 1.1 | .679 | ||||
| Totals | 82 | 240.9 | 107.7 | 44.0 | 23.3 | 10.4 | 7.5 | 22.7 | 91.7 | 42.2 | .460 | 31.9 | 23.2 | .729 |
Playoff 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 | 27 | 2 | 46.0 | 29.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 31.0 | 11.5 | .371 | 8.0 | 6.5 | .813 | ||||
| Bernard King | SF | 22 | 2 | 40.5 | 26.0 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 21.0 | 10.5 | .500 | 12.0 | 5.0 | .417 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 2 | 41.5 | 19.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 19.0 | 7.5 | .395 | 4.5 | 4.0 | .889 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 2 | 35.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 10.5 | 7.0 | .667 | 1.5 | 0.5 | .333 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 2 | 40.5 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 10.0 | 4.0 | .400 | 3.0 | 2.5 | .833 | ||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 2 | 8.5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .400 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.000 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 2 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | .333 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.000 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 2 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .400 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 2 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | .167 | 1.5 | 0.0 | .000 | ||||
| Totals | 2 | 240.0 | 107.5 | 46.0 | 22.0 | 9.5 | 7.0 | 19.5 | 101.0 | 43.5 | .431 | 32.5 | 20.5 | .631 |
Regular Season Per 36 Minutes
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williamson | SG | 27 | 74 | 33.1 | 24.1 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 20.1 | 9.3 | .465 | 6.4 | 5.5 | .854 | ||||
| Bernard King | SF | 22 | 82 | 34.9 | 22.3 | 8.4 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 17.1 | 8.9 | .522 | 7.8 | 4.4 | .564 | ||||
| Eric Money | PG | 23 | 47 | 30.5 | 19.7 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 4.2 | 17.0 | 8.2 | .481 | 4.6 | 3.4 | .743 | ||||
| Winford Boynes | SG | 21 | 69 | 17.0 | 19.7 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 3.6 | 18.2 | 7.8 | .430 | 5.2 | 4.1 | .787 | ||||
| Al Skinner | SG | 26 | 23 | 14.5 | 19.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 4.1 | 13.5 | 5.9 | .440 | 8.8 | 7.8 | .878 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 82 | 27.6 | 16.2 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 15.3 | 6.4 | .418 | 4.4 | 3.4 | .777 | ||||
| Wilson Washington | PF | 23 | 62 | 18.4 | 15.9 | 9.3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 13.7 | 6.9 | .502 | 3.3 | 2.1 | .635 | ||||
| Bob Elliott | PF | 23 | 14 | 20.1 | 15.7 | 7.1 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 9.3 | 5.2 | .562 | 7.1 | 5.2 | .732 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 32 | 16.5 | 15.2 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 16.2 | 5.9 | .367 | 4.9 | 3.3 | .676 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 59 | 18.1 | 12.6 | 6.0 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 10.2 | 4.8 | .475 | 3.5 | 2.9 | .819 | ||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 32 | 20.6 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 9.6 | 4.0 | .423 | 3.3 | 2.6 | .770 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 80 | 25.0 | 9.7 | 6.9 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 7.6 | 3.5 | .463 | 3.3 | 2.6 | .798 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 78 | 26.4 | 9.0 | 10.8 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 3.6 | .427 | 2.4 | 1.8 | .761 | ||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 82 | 18.4 | 7.7 | 10.0 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 2.8 | .371 | 3.1 | 2.1 | .679 | ||||
| Totals |
Playoff Per 36 Minutes
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williamson | SG | 27 | 2 | 46.0 | 23.1 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 24.3 | 9.0 | .371 | 6.3 | 5.1 | .813 | ||||
| Bernard King | SF | 22 | 2 | 40.5 | 23.1 | 4.9 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 18.7 | 9.3 | .500 | 10.7 | 4.4 | .417 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 2 | 41.5 | 16.5 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 16.5 | 6.5 | .395 | 3.9 | 3.5 | .889 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 2 | 35.0 | 14.9 | 12.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 10.8 | 7.2 | .667 | 1.5 | 0.5 | .333 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 2 | 5.0 | 14.4 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 18.0 | 7.2 | .400 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 2 | 8.5 | 12.7 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 10.6 | 4.2 | .400 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 1.000 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 2 | 40.5 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.9 | 3.6 | .400 | 2.7 | 2.2 | .833 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 2 | 10.0 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 1.8 | .333 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.000 | ||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 2 | 13.0 | 2.8 | 11.1 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 8.3 | 1.4 | .167 | 4.2 | 0.0 | .000 | ||||
| Totals |
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 | 22 | 82 | 2859 | 1769 | 669 | 295 | 118 | 39 | 323 | 1359 | 710 | .522 | 619 | 349 | .564 | ||||
| John Williamson | SG | 27 | 74 | 2451 | 1643 | 196 | 255 | 89 | 12 | 233 | 1367 | 635 | .465 | 437 | 373 | .854 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 82 | 2260 | 1015 | 215 | 365 | 201 | 40 | 244 | 960 | 401 | .418 | 274 | 213 | .777 | ||||
| Eric Money | PG | 23 | 47 | 1434 | 786 | 125 | 249 | 74 | 10 | 166 | 676 | 325 | .481 | 183 | 136 | .743 | ||||
| Winford Boynes | SG | 21 | 69 | 1176 | 645 | 155 | 75 | 43 | 7 | 119 | 595 | 256 | .430 | 169 | 133 | .787 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 80 | 1998 | 538 | 382 | 180 | 85 | 74 | 135 | 423 | 196 | .463 | 183 | 146 | .798 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 78 | 2058 | 517 | 616 | 88 | 68 | 253 | 178 | 483 | 206 | .427 | 138 | 105 | .761 | ||||
| Wilson Washington | PF | 23 | 62 | 1139 | 502 | 294 | 47 | 31 | 67 | 98 | 434 | 218 | .502 | 104 | 66 | .635 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 59 | 1070 | 374 | 178 | 85 | 45 | 22 | 78 | 303 | 144 | .475 | 105 | 86 | .819 | ||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 82 | 1508 | 321 | 418 | 99 | 44 | 29 | 103 | 313 | 116 | .371 | 131 | 89 | .679 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 32 | 527 | 222 | 61 | 68 | 12 | 4 | 53 | 237 | 87 | .367 | 71 | 48 | .676 | ||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 32 | 659 | 195 | 204 | 30 | 15 | 56 | 51 | 175 | 74 | .423 | 61 | 47 | .770 | ||||
| Al Skinner | SG | 26 | 23 | 334 | 182 | 42 | 49 | 22 | 2 | 38 | 125 | 55 | .440 | 82 | 72 | .878 | ||||
| Bob Elliott | PF | 23 | 14 | 282 | 123 | 56 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 73 | 41 | .562 | 56 | 41 | .732 | ||||
| Totals | 82 | 19755 | 8832 | 3611 | 1907 | 853 | 619 | 1845 | 7523 | 3464 | .460 | 2613 | 1904 | .729 |
Playoff Totals
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williamson | SG | 27 | 2 | 92 | 59 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 62 | 23 | .371 | 16 | 13 | .813 | ||||
| Bernard King | SF | 22 | 2 | 81 | 52 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 21 | .500 | 24 | 10 | .417 | ||||
| Eddie Jordan | PG | 24 | 2 | 83 | 38 | 15 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 15 | .395 | 9 | 8 | .889 | ||||
| George Johnson | C | 30 | 2 | 70 | 29 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 14 | .667 | 3 | 1 | .333 | ||||
| Jan van Breda Kolff | SF | 27 | 2 | 81 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 8 | .400 | 6 | 5 | .833 | ||||
| Tim Bassett | PF | 27 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .400 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | ||||
| Phil Jackson | PF | 33 | 2 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | ||||
| Ralph Simpson | SG | 29 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .400 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Harvey Catchings | C | 27 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | .167 | 3 | 0 | .000 | ||||
| Totals | 2 | 480 | 215 | 92 | 44 | 19 | 14 | 39 | 202 | 87 | .431 | 65 | 41 | .631 |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG + BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williamson | Lead Scorer/Shot Creator | 33.1 | High | 22.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.4 | (high) | Primary perimeter scoring option for Nets; among team’s top scorers and usage drivers, earned many shots in isolation and mid-range. | — |
| Bernard King | Lead Scorer/Alpha | 34.9 | High | 21.6 | 8.2 | 3.6 | 1.9 | (high) | Explosive scoring forward with inside-out scoring; future Hall of Famer known for creating his own shot. | — |
| Eric Money | Facilitator/Secondary Scorer | 30.5 | High | 16.7 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 1.8 | (strong) | Starter and playmaker; known for push pace and creating opportunities; was traded mid-season. | — |
| Eddie Jordan | Primary Playmaker | 27.6 | Medium-High | 12.4 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 3.0 | (solid) | Floor general with strong steal numbers; led team in defensive activity among guards. | — |
| George Johnson | Rim Protector/Big Man | 26.4 | Low | 6.6 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 4.1 | (solid) | Big frontcourt presence with strong boards and blocks; offensive role limited. | — |
| Jan van Breda Kolff | 3rd Wing/Versatile Role | 25.0 | Medium | 6.7 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 | (moderate) | Provided wing minutes, rebound support and secondary creation. | — |
| Harvey Catchings | Defensive Big/Role Player | 20.6 | Low | 6.1 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | (modest) | Role rotational big focusing on rebounds and conversion defense. | — |
| Bob Elliott | Spot Scorer/Frontcourt Role | 20.1 | Medium | 8.8 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 0.7 | (modest) | Limited games but showed scoring efficiency when on court. | — |
| Wilson Washington | Frontcourt Support | 18.4 | Medium | 8.1 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | (modest) | Provided rebounding and finishing in backup minutes. | — |
| Winford Boynes | Energy Wing | 17.0 | Medium | 9.3 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | (modest) | Young wing, contributed scoring spark in limited minutes. | — |
| Phil Jackson | Backup Big/Role Player | 18.1 | Low | 6.3 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 1.2 | (modest) | Provided veteran minutes, rebounding, and inside presence. | — |
| Al Skinner | Reserve Wing | 14.5 | Medium | 7.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | (modest) | Reserve wing with shooting and spot creation. | — |
| Ralph Simpson | Bench Wing | 16.5 | Low | 6.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.5 | (modest) | Provided experience and shooting in reserve role. | — |
| Tim Bassett | Reserve Big | 18.4 | Low | 3.9 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.9 | (lowest) | Role in frontcourt defense and boards with limited offensive involvement. | — |