From 1996-98, The Suns backcourt consisted of Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd.
In NBA history, there may be no better collection of guard talent than the Phoenix Suns of the ’96-’97 and ’97-’98 seasons. Has there ever been more talent at one position on the same team for a prolonged period?
You’d be hard pressed to trump the Phoenix Suns teams of those two seasons. The Suns featured a backcourt led by Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash- Mike D’Antoni would’ve certainly moistened his trousers at the thought of it during his reign.
Any way you slice it, two of those three players will make the hall of fame.
KJ probably won’t get the love, but as a 14-year vet with career averages of 17.9 ppg, 9.1 apg, 1.5 spg, a career .493% shooter from the floor and .841% on free throws, Johnson was one of the best point guards ever.
Unfortunately for him, he played in the same era as John Stockton, which makes him the Dominique Wilkins to Michael Jordan in terms of scoring titles- no matter what he did, he would always be overshadowed.
In ’96-’97, KJ was the Suns leading scorer averaging 20.1 ppg. But at 30-years old, he was playing 38 mpg and the Suns knew it couldn’t last forever. Lingering injury issues also overshadowed Johnson during some of the most successful stages of his career.
As a stopgap, they drafted Steve Nash from Santa Clara in the 1996 NBA Draft (was that the best draft ever btw?).
Prior to the end of the ’96-’97 season, the Suns also acquired Jason Kidd from the Dallas Mavericks via trade.
Kidd took off immediately, starting 23 of 33 games, playing 35.5 mpg, averaging 11.5 ppg, 9 apg, 4.8 rpg and 2.4 spg. That same year Steve Nash came off the bench and played 10.5 mpg but averaged 3.3 ppg and 2.1 apg in limited duty.
The writing was on the wall for KJ heading into the ’97-’98 season, but he still squeezed out another solid year (9.5 ppg, 4.9 apg, 25.8 mpg) while splitting minutes with and mentoring Kidd and Nash.
Kidd started all 82 games and maintained the productive pace he set the previous year putting up nearly the same numbers (38 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 9.1 apg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 spg), while Nash doubled his minutes (10.5 vs 21.9) and increased his production across the board (9.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.1 rpg). Suddenly, the Suns had a three-headed monster at PG and they went 56-26, a 16 win improvement over the previous season.
But that was the apex for the three as teammates. Nash was dealt to Dallas after the 1998 NBA Draft for four players and a first round draft pick (which later turned out to be Shawn Marion, interestingly). KJ retired after the season. And suddenly, J Kidd was the undisputed #1 PG.
Historically, what backcourt could stack up against KJ, Kidd, and Nash? Sure, you could argue Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe of the Knicks in the 70’s, but in my mind it’s got to be My Three Suns.
In NBA history all three players are in the top ten for all-time assists per game. And fittingly, they’re all stacked together- KJ in 6th with 9.13, Kidd in 8th with 8.69 and Nash in 9th with 8.53.
