It’s not a stretch to say Spencer Haywood was the greatest 20-year-old in NBA/ABA history.
Haywood turned pro after a college career that would be highly
unlikely today. He played one year of junior college ball where he was so
dominant that he made the 1968 Olympic team. He led USA to a Gold Medal and set
a record with a field goal percentage of 71.9%.
From there, he went to the University of Detroit and led the NCAA in rebounding
at 21.5 per game. He decided to turn pro but since the NBA still had a rule
prohibiting players from playing before their class had graduated, Spencer
joined the Denver Rockets in the ABA.
At age 20, he just tore the ABA up. He led the league in scoring and rebounding, won the All-Star Game MVP, the season MVP in a nearly unanimous vote, and powered the Rockets into the second round of the playoffs. Although the ABA wasn’t up to its full strength in 1969-1970, Haywood still was dominating the likes of Mel Daniels, Louie Dampier, Roger Brown and Rick Barry.
Despite the success, Haywood jumped to the NBA after the Seattle SuperSonics sued over his status. He continued to pile up impressive statistics, averaging between 20.6 and 29.2 points per game, and between 9.3 and 13.4 rebounds per game over the next five seasons. But the SuperSonics only made the playoffs once during those years, depriving Haywood of valuable playoff points in my system.
By the time Haywood joined the Knicks in 1975-1976, he was forming a cocaine habit and his play gradually declined. Although he finished with solid career numbers (20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game), his 5-year, 10-year and career numbers suffered because he played on just five playoff teams.
Indeed, his inclusion in the Top 100 is entirely because of that great rookie season, which landed him at No. 28 for peak value. He’ll have staying power in these rankings because it’s going to be a while before enough players surpass that 1969-1970 season to knock him out of the top 100.
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Spencer Haywood bio info |
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|
Career |
1969-1983 |
|
Games |
844 |
|
Points |
20.3 |
|
Rebounds |
10.3 |
|
Assists |
1.8 |
|
FG Pct. |
46.9% |
|
All-Star Games |
5 |
|
MVPs |
1 |
|
NBA Titles |
1 |
|
Playoff seasons |
5 |
|
Playoff games |
45 |
|
Points |
19.6 |
|
Rebounds |
9.4 |
|
Assists |
1.8 |
|
FG Pct. |
47.9% |
|
Hall of Fame |
2015 |
|
Top 100 rankings |
||
|
|
Points |
Top 100 ranking |
|
1-year |
371.06 |
28th |
|
5-year |
1,089.28 |
Not in top 100 |
|
10-year |
1,621.28 |
Not in top 100 |
|
Career |
1,832.36 |
Not in top 100 |
|
Spencer Haywood at his peak |
|||
|
1969-1970 |
Haywood |
Top 5 |
Points |
|
PER |
28.0 |
24.55 |
|
|
Win Shares |
17.1 |
15.13 |
|
|
Box +/- |
NA |
NA |
|
|
VORP |
NA |
NA |
|
|
Total Advanced Stats |
45.1 |
39.68 |
113.67 |
|
Playoff PER |
26.8 |
26.03 |
|
|
Win Shares |
2.6 |
2.85 |
|
|
Box +/- |
NA |
NA |
|
|
VORP |
NA |
NA |
|
|
Total Advanced Stats |
29.4 |
28.88 |
101.79 |
|
Reg. Season Win % |
60.71 |
|
60.71 |
|
Playoff Win % |
41.67 |
|
41.67 |
|
MVP Voting (75 points) |
97/100 |
|
72.75 |
|
Finals MVP (25 points) |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Total Score (95 pct.) |
|
|
371.06 |
|
Haywood’s 10 greatest seasons |
|
|
1969-1970 |
371.06 |
|
1981-1982 |
192.61 |
|
1979-1980 |
179.04 |
|
1977-1978 |
175.40 |
|
1974-1975 |
171.18 |
|
1971-1972 |
131.70 |
|
1972-1973 |
111.12 |
|
1973-1974 |
106.53 |
|
1970-1971 |
94.81 |
|
1975-1976 |
87.83 |
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Career winning percentage |
|||
|
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
|
Regular Season |
429 |
415 |
50.83% |
|
Playoffs |
22 |
23 |
48.89% |
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