Dolph Schayes was the first version of today’s “Stretch
Four,” a 6-8 player who was more comfortable shooting from the outside and
driving than he was posting up.
Schayes is the last of the pioneers that will be named
(since I’m going in reverse order) to this list. He came into the league when
the plodding George Mikan was its biggest star and retired after the 1963-1964
season when Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson
were transforming it into the up-and-down athletic contest it is today.
He thrived through both eras. He topped 20 points per game
six straight seasons, from 1955-1956 through 1960-1961. He averaged 12 or more
rebounds for 11 straights years. His advanced stats are solid. He topped 20.0
in PER from 1951-1952 – the first year it was calculated – through 1959-1960.
He topped 10.0 in win shares eight times, including leading the league in
1957-1958 over players such as Pettit and Russell.
His teams qualified for the playoffs in 13 of his 14 seasons
and his Syracuse Nats went to three NBA Finals, losing to Mikan’s Minneapolis
Lakers twice before beating the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955 in seven games. Schayes
topped 20 points in four of the games in the finals.
If you watch Youtube highlights of Schayes, you see the
makings of a Kevin Love with range up to 25 feet, a good feel for moving
without the ball and a tough rebounder. His contemporary was Bob Pettit, who
was better in the 1-year, 5-year and 10-year rankings. Pettit, though, walked
away from the NBA at 33. Schayes was the NBA’s first iron man. He played 706
games straight at one point, entering professional basketball at the age of 21
and playing until he was 35. He was the league’s second leading scorer in
history when he retired. It’s his longevity that pushed him ever so slightly
above Pettit in the rankings.
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Dolph
Schayes bio info
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Career
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1949-1964
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Games
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996
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Points
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18.5
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Rebounds
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12.1
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Assists
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3.1
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FG Pct.
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38.0%
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All-Star games
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12
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NBA MVPs
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0
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NBA titles
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1
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Playoff seasons
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14
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Playoff games
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97
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Points
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19.5
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Rebounds
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12.2
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Assists
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2.6
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FG Pct.
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39.0%
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Hall of Fame
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1973
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Top 100
rankings
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Points
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Top 100 ranking
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1-year
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362.20
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34th
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5-year
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1,649.71
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24th
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10-year
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2,982.21
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20th
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Career
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3,630.80
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29th
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Dolph
Schayes at his peak
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|||
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1954-1955
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Schayes
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Top 5
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Points
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PER
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23.0
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23.55
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Win Shares
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12.0
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12.48
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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35.0
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36.03
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97.15
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Playoff PER
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24.3
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21.13
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Win Shares
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1.8
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1.24
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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26.1
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22.37
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116.69
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Reg. Season Win %
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59.72
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59.72
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Playoff Win %
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63.64
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63.64
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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NA
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NA
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Playoff MVP (25 points)
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25
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25.00
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Total Score
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362.20
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Schayes’ 10 greatest seasons
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1954-1955
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362.20
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1957-1958
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348.34
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1953-1954
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333.16
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1951-1952
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303.36
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1956-1957
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302.65
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1958-1959
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290.05
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1955-1956
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287.86
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1959-1960
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272.82
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1950-1951
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245.59
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1960-1961
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236.19
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Career winning
percentage
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|||
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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511
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422
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54.77%
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Playoffs
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44
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42
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51.16%
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It is so hard to rank players strictly by a statistical system. ... This is one of the errors. The best pre-Bill Russell player is not even a question, it is the man one spot lower on your list, Bob Pettit. ... Pettit is the only pioneer who could play in today's NBA.
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