Kris Humphries knows both sides of the game. The New Jersey Nets power forward, 25, has been both a superstar athletic phenom and a blue-collar journeyman role player.

As an elementary schooler in Minneapolis, Minn., Humphries was arguably the nation’s best swimmer in his age group alongside Michael Phelps — he actually had better times than Phelps in a few events — and after he dropped swimming for basketball, became a McDonald’s All-American. During a one-and-done run at Minnesota, he was the first freshman to ever lead the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding.

Seven years into an NBA career spent with the Jazz, Raptors, Mavs and Nets, though, Humphries has settled into his niche as a low-profile role player. Which isn’t a bad thing. He is a practitioner of the “little things,” a tough interior player whom coaches love and teammates appreciate and will always be in demand by both contenders and teams looking to rebuild on a solid foundation.

As the starting four in New Jersey this season, Humphries has outperformed No. 3 overall draft pick Derrick Favors and veteran Troy Murphy, averaging 7.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Through the team’s first 19 games, Humphries already has four nights where he’s grabbed at least 15 boards. In a triple-overtime loss to the Thunder earlier this week, Humphries had 15 rebounds and made a crucial block on Russell Westbrook during crunch time, a couple games after he had 10 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks in a win over the Blazers.

Recently, I got a few minutes with Humphries to talk about his new role, his road trip essentials, and the Nets’ goals moving forward:

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Dime: Going into the season, did you see yourself competing for a starting job?
Kris Humphries: I think you have to prepare yourself for that. Did I see the opportunity being there like this? Not necessarily. But I’ve worked hard and continue to work hard and that’s helped me. Anyone on an NBA team, he has to know his number can be called at any time, so you try to make the most out of it. That’s what I try to do.

Dime: How do you see your role on the court?
KH: I try to do the small things and complement who’s out there. That might be setting the high screen for Devin (Harris), being the guy who can get out on defense on the perimeter, running the floor, rebounding. I try to play off of what Brook (Lopez) is doing because he’s such a big threat in the post. Really it’s just trying to help us in any way I can.

Dime: You guys are playing better than last year’s 12-win team, but it hasn’t been a 180 turnaround. How good do you think the Nets can be this year?
KH: We can be good. Obviously we want to have more wins than we do now. We got a couple on the road, and we beat Portland the other day. We need to get some momentum and get a streak going here, and stay away from losing streaks. Even if we’re not playing good, only lose a game or two instead of losing five in a row.

Dime: Who are the leaders of the Nets?
KH: We have our captains, Devin and Brook, then there’s guys with a lot of experience like Joe (Smith) and Murph. I learn stuff from Joe almost every day. He’s in my ear telling me certain things to look out for and what-not on the court.

Dime: Do you have a gameday routine?
KH: I’m not really a superstitious person. After shootaround, I go home, eat, take a nap and get up ready to come to the arena for warm-ups. I watch a lot of film. We got these iPads for film, scouting stuff and game prep. Our staff does a great job of getting us what we want to see.

Dime: What do you have to bring with you on a road trip?
KH: My Mac, my iPod, my iPad. “The Office” on DVD. I watch a lot of shows — “The Office,” “Dexter,” “Eastbound & Down.” I’ve been watching “Boardwalk Empire,” too. But “The Office” is my favorite. It’s hilarious.

Dime: What’s your sneaker collection look like?
KH: I’m not really a big fashion guy, but I like to mix it up. I like Chucks and Flyers, and obviously I wear Nikes. I wore my brown Chucks today to the arena.

Dime: At this point, do you feel like you’re a vet in the League, or still a young guy?
KH: This is my seventh year, which is weird to say because it’s gone by so fast. I guess I’m in the middle. I feel like I have some experience, but at the same time I’m still learning a lot from guys who have played a lot more than me. So I’m not out here on my veteran high horse, but I’ve been around for a while.

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