gold star for USAHOF

23. Pete Maravich

23. Pete Maravich
While “Pistol” Pete Maravich is best known for what he did in the State of Louisiana both with the New Orleans Jazz and LSU, but it should be remembered that the first four seasons he spent professionally was with the Atlanta Hawks. 

Maravich struggled to find a fit in Atlanta but by his third year he emerged as an All Star, and would again make that game in his fourth and final season as a Hawk.  He would average a whopping 24.3 Points per Game as an Atlanta Hawk, but he would later move to the Jazz who made him an even bigger part of their offense than Atlanta did.

Maravich was not with Atlanta long (only four years, which is why it is so hard to rank him higher), but he was immortalized by the team in 2017 when they retired his number 44.  He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, and he would later be chosen for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Point Guard
  • Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round, 3rd Overall 3/23/70.
  • Departed: Traded to the New Orleans Jazz for Bob Kauffman, Dean Meminger, a 1974 1st Round Pick (which would be Mike Sojourner), a 1975 1st Round Pick (which would be David Thompson), a 1975 2nd Round Pick (which would be Bill Willougby), a1976 2nd Round Pick (which would be Alex English) and a 1980 3rd Round Pick (which would be Jonathan Moore) 5/20/74.
  • Games Played: 302
  • Per Game Averages: 37.2 MP
    .448 eFG%
    .809 FT%
    24.3 PTS
    4.2 RB
    5.6 AST
    1.5 STL*
    0.2 BLK*

    17 Playoff Games
    38.4 MP
    .415 eFG%
    .786 FT%
    25.5 PTS
    5.1 RB
    5.4 AST
    1.5 STL*
    0.2 BLK*

    * Steals and Blocks were only a statistic in Maravich’s last year as a Hawk.
  • Advanced Stats: 18.9 PER
    .492 TS%
    3.1 VORP**
    25.6 WS

    17 Playoff Games
    18.5 PER
    .47 TS%
    N/A VORP**
    0.9 WS

    ** VORP was only a statistic in Maravich’s last year as a Hawk.
  • Major Accolades and Awards: Second Team All-NBA (1972-73)
    First Team All-Rookie (1970-71)
    All-Star (1973 & 1974)

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