Rasheed Wallace dismisses the comparison between Jason Kidd and Steve Nash: "Nash was a liability on defense"
steve-nash--jason-kidd
Jason Kidd and Steve Nash were two of the best floor generals to ever play in the NBA. The two spent most of their careers as rivals, facing off 34 times in the regular season, with Kidd emerging victorious in their head-to-head matchups 19 times to Nash's 15.
When asked to pick between the two, 2004 NBA champion Rasheed Wallace went with the bigger guard in Kidd. But Sheed didn't just pick him because of his size advantage over the Canadian guard.
"I'm going with J-Kidd all day, every day with that one. He was the bigger guard. He was just as fast. He can get from one end of the floor to the other in like two or three dribbles. And JK was more of a defender," said Wallace on The Sheed and Tyler podcast.
Nash was a defensive liability
Kidd was the No. 3 overall pick of the 1994 NBA Draft and the co-Rookie of the Year in 1995. He was traded to the Suns the year Nash was drafted by Phoenix, and the two of them played together for a season and a half.
While Nash won back-to-back MVP awards, Kidd had more All-Star Game appearances, 10 versus eight. But perhaps more than that, Jason was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team nine times, including four on the first team. For Sheed, Kidd's ability as an elite defender is his big edge over Nash.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that he hung his hat on defense, but he wasn't a liability. I saw Steve Nash as a defensive liability. Granted that he could shoot that three, had a good midrange as well but this is just my opinion, that's not a comparison," added Wallace.
Pierce also picked Kidd over Nash
Sheed wasn't the only one who chose the current Mavs head coach as the better option. Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce also sided with Jason over Steve because J-Kidd was more versatile and closer to being a complete package.
"J. Kidd. He can do more. He's a better rebounder. You know, the passing is a toss-up. Better defender. Kidd is one of the top 10 all-time 3-point shooters,” The Truth once said.
However, perhaps more than the stats and attributes, the one thing that separates Kidd and Nash is that title ring that J-Kidd won with Dirk in 2011. Jason also helped the Nets reach back-to-back Finals appearances when he was in New Jersey while Steve never led any of his teams past the Conference Finals, which many consider a knock on his legacy.