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Top 10 Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics
The transition from Seattle to OKC wasn’t exactly smooth.
In putting together this list of OKC Thunder/Seattle Sonics, I was struck by just how many outstanding players have played on this team. More than any other franchise I’ve done so far, I feel the need to give a shout-out to guys who didn’t make the list. I wanted to get Slick Watts on this list because not only was he a really good player, he’s got one of the coolest names in NBA history. Xavier McDaniel, the Xman, was also an outstanding player with a cool name. Detlef Schrempt also falls into the same category. I believe in players 1–25, this team has as much depth as any I’ve done so far. Anyway, here are the guys that did make the list.
10: Spencer Hayward Spencer was one of the first guys to come in under the NBA’s old hardship rule. Hayward was tremendously athletic. In his five seasons in Seattle, Spencer averaged 24.9 points per game and 12.1 rebounds. In the 1971–72 season Hayward maxed out at 29.2 ppg. He played in four all-star games while with the Sonics. Coming at number ten, Spencer Heyward, and one of the Sonics' first stars.
9: Gus Williams Gus was one of a number of stars that played for the Sonics, but what set him apart was his playoff performance. In the 1979 NBA Finals, Gus helped the Sonics win their only championship by scoring 28.6ppg in the finals. For all playoffs that year, Williams averaged 26.7ppg. His playoff high water mark occurred in the 1982–82 playoffs when Gus averaged 32.5 ppg. In his six regular seasons in Seattle Gus averaged 23.2 ppg and was in the top ten in steals every season. Gus drives by some tough competition to make number nine on this list.
8: Dale Ellis Here’s a guy who could seriously shoot the 3 ball. In seven seasons in Seattle, Dale shot 41.8% from beyond the arc. His scoring average was 20.8 ppg, but in his prime in the late ’80s, he was good for about 25 ppg. Dale didn’t have a lot of rebounds or assists in his game, but hey, you wanted this guy to shoot. Amazingly Dale might not be the best shooter on this list.
7: Ray Allen This guy might have been even better than Ellis. Allen was one of the best pure shooters in the NBA for years, but he was at his peak in Seattle. Ray averaged 24.6 ppg in his 5 seasons with the Sonics. Ray…
