Jared Dudley has been selected as one of 12 nominees for the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Award recognizing the league's best teammate.
As you might expect of anybody with the record and reputation to be nominated, Dudley has plenty of support in his own locker room.
"Jared is honestly probably the best teammate I've ever had," said Joe Harris. "He's one of the veteran guys that every team needs. For us, coming in here, whether he plays five minutes or he plays 30, his voice is always the same. He's great from a leadership angle, he's helpful with every single guy, doesn't matter if you're DeMarre Carroll nine years in or you're (Rodions Kurucs) and you're a rookie.
"He's lending his voice, he's helping guys out, and what he says is essentially like it's coming from a coach or a general manager. He's got a wealth of knowledge and wisdom and he's also a likable guy. People really enjoy being around him. I can't really see anybody more deserving -- obviously I'm biased -- of the teammate of the year award."
It's the first year in Brooklyn for the 12th-year veteran who has made stops with five other NBA franchises. He counts players like Steve Nash and Grant Hill among those who put him on the right path, and he's worked to share those experiences as his own career has matured.
"Some of the good teammates, when it comes for me, has always been someone who interacts with your teammates — movies, dinners, buses, planes, and so what I tend to do is, the older I've gotten, I actually hang out with more younger guys than I do older guys," said Dudley. "Someone like Giannis (Antetokounmpo), talking to him after the game, (Devin) Booker, John Wall, those are guys that when I was on those teams I hung out with them as much as I did anyone else. It just shows that the older you get, you kind of have an obligation to help out the youth and that's something I'm glad to do."
With Brooklyn, Dudley is among a group of veterans with DeMarre Carroll and Ed Davis that help set a course for the Nets. It's a role Carroll had mostly to himself this year, and he's credited Dudley for helping take the pressure off him a little bit and bring a different voice to the locker room.
"Huge," said D'Angelo Russell of Dudley's impact. "Jared Dudley, but Ed Davis, DeMarre Carroll. Those guys as well. They’ve just been big time, like I said, since day one they all took me under their wing. They kind of nurtured me throughout this whole process, so I give a lot of credit to them."
After playing sparingly in Phoenix the last two seasons, Dudley ended up starting the first 20 games of the season for the Nets after some early injuries to Carroll and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Dudley ended up sidelined himself for much of January and February with a hamstring injury and his playing time has fluctuated since he came back, but it doesn't change his approach.
He's one of the leaders of the "extra work" group, running through drills and scrimmages in the morning on gamedays to stay loose in case they're needed. It paid off with a stunning comeback win in Sacramento two weeks ago.
In Portland last Monday, Dudley scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting while playing 35 minutes in an overtime loss to the Blazers.
“He’s been huge for us," said Caris LeVert. "He’s very deserving of that award. Just the impact he’s had on and off the court. Teaching guys how to conduct themselves. How to be professionals. He’s played in a lot of big games. He’s been on a lot of different teams. Just him talking to us, telling us different stories, different scenarios, how to handle different things (has) been huge for us.”
More than just a leader for his younger teammates, Dudley has been credited by Nets coach Kenny Atkinson for his influence on the coaching staff as a sounding board and essential supportive resource.
"Jared, everything he does, whether it's on the court, going through everything full-tilt, fully engaged, and sometimes the vets skate through a shootaround," said Atkinson. "He's fully engaged. He's been a great example for our young guys. On top of that the guy can play. He's really helped our collective IQ, helps our spacing on the court, and then defensively he's saavy too. It's nice to have that voice and that positive energy and like I've said all along, he's helped me tremendously. I think he's pushed me to become a better coach. Just awesome to see him rewarded."