Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 26
Next
Jason Terry
Jason Terry, Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 22. Jason Terry

Admittedly, Jason Terry’s career has long since been forgotten. He never averaged more than 19.7 points per game in a given season, was never considered an All-Star caliber player and Terry was never even a full-time starter no matter where he went.

But just because Terry’s career didn’t contain the glitz and glamor of other names that will appear on this list, it doesn’t mean he didn’t carve out one helluva career, especially as the sidekick of Dirk Nowitzki.

We all knew what the big German was going to give us. About 25-30 points a night, close to double-digit rebounds, and efficient shooting nights. Everyone else around him was pretty much a question mark. All except Terry.

The former 2009 Sixth Man of the Year dropped at least 15.1 points per game in seven of his eight seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. When the lights turned on, and Dallas needed a big shot outside of Nowitzki, Terry always delivered. During the 2011 NBA Finals, Terry never backed down from LeBron James and his studded big three with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

In fact, many believed it was a mismatch. Boy did everyone eat their words when Terry actually outplayed James in the Finals. Terry would average 18 points on 49.4% from the field and 39.3% from distance. James, on the other hand, only managed to drop 17.8 points on 47.8% from the field and a measly 32.1% from behind the arc.

Terry didn’t grab any All-Star nods and he certainly won’t make the Hall of Fame but Dirk Nowitzki could count on him every night.