Brooklyn Nets: 15 best draft picks of all-time (updated through 2018-19)
By Phil Watson
147. . PF. New Jersey Nets (1st round, 3rd overall, 1981 NBA Draft). Buck Williams. 1. player
For eight seasons, through the ups and downs, Buck Williams was the New Jersey Nets.
Williams came out of Maryland as the No. 3 overall pick in 1981 by the Nets and responded with a Rookie of the Year campaign and an All-Star selection in 1981-82, averaging 15.5 points and 12. 3 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game.
He missed just one game in his first six seasons before being slowed a bit in 1987-88 and 1988-89. Williams made three All-Star appearances for New Jersey, was an All-NBA Second Team pick in 1982-83 and was named All-Defensive Second Team in 1987-88 for a 19-win team.
In June 1989, Williams was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Sam Bowie and a 1989 first-round pick.
He posted his career-high of 18.3 points per game with the Nets in 1987-88 and averaged 12.5 rebounds a game twice (1982-83 and 1986-87). Williams was a grinder, tireless on the glass, and did most of his scoring against the big guys inside, shooting 55 percent from the floor in eight seasons with New Jersey.
He is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (635) and minutes played (23,100), as well as being the club’s top rebounder (7,576 total and 11.9 per game) and appears in the franchise’s top 10 in 31 categories.
He played seven seasons with Portland and two more with the New York Knicks before retiring after the lockout ended in January 1999.
Next. 10 best seasons in Nets history. dark
Williams is 16th in NBA history with 13,017 rebounds, but despite averaging a double-double for his career, Williams has not been selected for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. He may be suffering from playing for a mediocre to poor team for much of his career as well as the inevitable stat deminishment that comes with becoming a role player in his later years.