Andrei Kirilenko Reminds J-Kidd Of — Wait For It — LeBron James
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were the Nets' major additions this summer.
But general manager Billy King also acquired other key pieces, one of which was Andrei Kirilenko.
And head coach Jason Kidd, for one, is especially excited about having the 6-foot-9 forward on his team.
Asked on Thursday who Kirilenko, nicknamed "AK-47," reminds him of, Kidd didn't hold back his praise for the 11th-year player.
"I mean, LeBron James," the first-year head coach said, according to ESPN. "And I'm not putting AK in (LeBron's class in terms of talent), but when you talk about guys who fill up the stat sheet, that's what he does and that's what he's always done. From rebounding to assists, points, steals and blocked shots, he's done it all. That's the kind of skill set he brings."
Doesn't get any better than that, does it?
In the Nets' first preseason game, an overtime victory over the Wizards, the former first-round pick of the Jazz recorded 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 24 minutes.
Not a bad debut, to say the least.
Kirilenko signed a two-year deal with Brooklyn on July 12. He played in Utah from 2001-2011 before playing in Minnesota for one year.
The 2004 NBA All-Star averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game last season for the Timberwolves.
Kirilenko is expected to come off the bench for Brooklyn, playing behind Pierce.
For his career, the 32-year-old has averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds.
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