NBA Brooklyn Nets

Kevin Garnett’s Greatest Impact Still to Be Made

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By @fanforlife1988

 

Kevin Garnett Pregame Portrait

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In what is sure to be Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett’s final NBA season, fans can sit back and relish one of the all-time greatest careers in history. For starters, Garnett was the catalyst in the modern era of high school draft picks, as he was chosen fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995 draft. His list of accolades also presents a legitimate case for being one of the greatest to ever play at his position. With his 20th season approaching, Garnett is now setting another trend for all players who came after him – going out on his terms. Just what this last season beholds for Garnett is still to be determined, but his unparalleled determination likely means that the Big Ticket will make his curtain call a memorable one.

Only three players in NBA history have achieved the feat of a career spanning over 20 seasons – Robert Parish, Kevin Willis and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Garnett, a definite first-ballot future Hall of Famer, now looks to be the fourth on that list. When Garnett signed his three-year deal with the Boston Celtics in 2012, it was expected that he would retire prior to the conclusion of the contract. Proving detractors wrong, Garnett made the decision to return this year, despite now being with the Nets and without his championship running mate Paul Pierce, who this past offseason joined the Washington Wizards. While the faces and setting have changed, Garnett has been the one constant, as his demeanor, preparation and overall love of the game remain as strong as they did when he first started all those years ago.

Garnett is one of just three players to ever win both the league’s MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 2003-2004 MVP campaign remains as one of the best in history, when he averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for the season. Behind Garnett, the Timberwolves achieved their greatest success that year, making it to the Western Conference Finals. But after years of mediocrity and little overall improvement, the Timberwolves failed Garnett’s loyalty. By 2007, Garnett was ready to leave the only environment he had ever known in his career.

The loyalty would pay off for Garnett, though; the Timberwolves traded him to the Celtics to team with sharpshooter Ray Allen and their own star, Pierce. It was Garnett’s fiery will, however, that catapulted the team to have the league’s top defense and overall record. The Big Three, as they were called, led the Celtics to their first NBA Championship in 22 years, while returning the organization to championship prominence. Garnett, the high school kid who entered the league all smiles in 1995, finally had a reason to smile again. As the defensive leader of that Celtics team, Garnett was the key to their immediate success, and could finally call himself a champion.

What makes this 20th season so historically special for Garnett is his ability to dictate how he finishes his career. When Garnett was coming up in the league, he had big men such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, and Charles Barkley to look up to. Olajuwon played 18 NBA seasons, Malone 19, and Barkley 16 before they were each forced to retire due to career-ending injuries. Players like Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, John Stockton, and even Shaquille O’Neal could not play on after 19 seasons. Garnett could, which speaks volumes of how his preparation, style and overall approach to the game allowed him to perform well, even into his 20th season.

It is the love of the game that has guided Garnett to continue playing even after a change of scenery. Despite taking on a smaller role in Brooklyn, Garnett embraces his position as mentor to the league’s young players of today. On a wider spectrum, Garnett is a trendsetter for players who made the jump from high school to the NBA, in addition to those one-and-done stars like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Kevin Love, who look towards his career narrative as a model for their own success.

Whether you’ve been a fan of his or not, Garnett is going to go out on his terms when it is all said and done. For this, we can commend the Big Ticket each night we receive the chance to see him this 20th and final season.

Zach Fetaru is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @fanforlife1988, ”like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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