Top 100 NBA Players: #87 - Gus Williams

Gus Williams

Teams

Golden State Warriors - 1975-77

Seattle SuperSonics - 1977-84

Washington Bullets - 1984-86

Atlanta Hawks - 1986-87

Playoffs

Appearances - 10 (1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986)

Conference Finals - 4 (1976,1978,1979,1980)

NBA Finals - 2 (1978,1979)

Championships - 1 (1979)

Awards and Honors

All-NBA First Team - 1 (1982)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1980,1983)

NBA Finals MVP - 0 (1979)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Steals Per Game - #16

Total Steals - #29

Assists Per Game - #81

Total Assists - #86

League Leads

Total Steals (#3-1978,1984, #4-1980)

Steals Per Game (#2-1978, #3-1984, #4-1980)

Total Assists (#4-1983, #5-1984)

Three Pointers Made (#5-1985)

After a very strong senior season at USC, Gus Williams was a first-round pick by the Spirits of Saint Louis of the ABA and a second-round pick by the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, ultimately deciding to go with the Warriors, as the ABA was on its last legs and would merge with the NBA just a year later.

He spent 2 years with the Warriors, and was good, but not spectacular, being named to the All-Rookie Team in 1976 before being allowed to leave in free agency in 1977, when he signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, which was the best move he made in his career.

Williams' first three seasons in Seattle were great. He got better each season, reaching averages of 22.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in 1980, which was the first time he was named to the All-NBA Team, and it was well-deserved. He also helped lead the Sonics on deep playoff runs in each of those seasons, reaching the Finals in 1978 and 1979, winning the title in 1979. Dennis Johnson was named the MVP of those Finals, but Johnson was the higher scorer in that series 29.0 to 22.6.

After reaching the Conference Finals in 1980, the third straight season making it at least that far in the playoffs, Johnson sat out a full season in a contract dispute. Based on his career trajectory, that could have been his best season, but we'll never know. Still, when he returned after a year off, he had by far his best regular season, 23.4 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, earning him his only All-NBA First Team berth.

Williams played 2 more seasons with Seattle, averaging at least 18 points and 8 assists per game each season, but failed to be named to the All-NBA Team (which he deserved in 1983) or make another deep playoff run. After the 1984 season, he was traded to the Washington Bullets, the team he had faced twice in the NBA Finals a few years earlier.

Williams had one more really good season for the Bullets before his numbers started to dip significantly, and after two seasons in Washington, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks for his farewell season. 

He didn't have a long career, with only 11 seasons on the court, and he missed a full season at his peak, but he was a very good player on both ends of the court for many years, especially during his time in Seattle. He was also a proven winner, putting up the best numbers of his career in the NBA Finals, but he was overlooked when it came to the Finals MVP and the Hall of Fame. He is not being overlooked here, he has earned this spot among the greatest players of all time.