EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It hasn't taken Devin Harris long to make the New Jersey Nets forget Jason Kidd.

Less than a year after being acquired in the blockbuster deal that shipped Kidd to Dallas, the 25-year-old Harris has emerged as one of the NBA's top point guards.

This weekend, Harris will head to Phoenix to represent the East in his first All-Star game. Kidd, the soon-to-be 36-year-old who led the Nets to two NBA Finals, was not named to the West squad, though he is a nine-time All-Star.

"You can't replace a player like Jason Kidd here," Harris said. "He is a Hall of Famer. He did great things for this organization, put this organization on the map. But you can't live up to the expectation of other people, you have to live up to the expectations you set for yourself."

To be honest, Harris never doubted what he could do on the court, given the right circumstances.

With the Mavericks, Harris was never one of the primary options. His job was to distribute the ball to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard.

"It was tough because I was always trying to figure out where I fit in offensively with different players and what not," Harris said. "I thought I did OK, shooting off the other guys and playing off the other guys. I was fine with it."

However, the system limited Harris on the offensive end.

That has all ended with the Nets. Coach Lawrence Frank has given Harris the green light on offense and told him to take advantage of his ability to penetrate the lane, which also sets up his jump shot. Heading into the break, Harris' numbers are hard to match.

Harris is averaging career-bests with 21.8 points, 6.5 assists, 1.60 steals and 35.8 minutes in 47 starts. The University of Wisconsin product is the NBA's highest scoring point guard. He also holds the league's highest point increase from 2007-08 to 2008-09 (minimum 50 games played last season) tallying 7 more points than his 14.8 scoring average last season.

Watching Harris go down the lane against Tim Duncan and Kurt Thomas in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night was similar to seeing a shifty NFL halfback looking for a hole in the defensive line.

Harris would beat his man off the dribble and then give San Antonio's big men a shoulder move one way while his body went the other way. If that didn't work, he stopped on a dime and pivoted to the other side of the rim. And if that didn't work, there was always a step-back jumper or an extra gear that got him a step on the big guys.

On one play, Thomas' knees seemed to lock as Harris put a move on him.

When asked if Harris was trying to blow out his knees, Thomas just laughed.

"He is so quick and explosive, and he can finish with the right or the left and has a great runner," Thomas said.

Even Spurs defensive expert Bruce Bowen got a taste of taking on Harris.

"He is playing freely," Bowen said. "He is not worried about, 'I have to get the ball to this guy or that guy.' He is actually playing like he is the Big 10 player of the year. It's a difference when you have that freedom, when a coach says: 'Hey, when you feel like you can do this, go ahead."'

If there is one other area where Harris has improved this season, it's his shooting. He always got open, but there seemed to be some hesitancy, which might have been from his days in Dallas. If you don't think you're supposed to shoot, the shots aren't going to fall.

Harris insists he didn't work on his shooting in the offseason.

"My confidence is better and the opportunity to make the shots is there," he said. "I always thought I was a good shooter but when you shoot freely, then obviously that takes a lot of the hesitation away."

Harris leads the Nets with two 40-plus point games this season, and eight games of 30-or-more points. He is one of only five players in the NBA to currently average at least 21.0 points and 6.0 assists per game, with the others being LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson and Chris Paul.

The success has Harris seeing a lot more from opposing defenses.

"Now instead of being a nice player, you are the focal point of the scouting report," Frank said. "It's an adjustment in itself. Now some teams try to get the ball out of his hands early, some get up on him early, some try to force him a certain way, which is truly a compliment because if you weren't significant or really special, you'd just be a name on the report. Now you are a focal point on the report and they are game planning for you."

In Frank's mind that is only going to make Harris better.

"All the stuff you see now, I have always had," Harris said. "It just wasn't my role to take advantage of it. Now everybody thinks I have added all this new stuff to my game. It was always there. I just needed the opportunity to bring it out."