Atlanta Hawks: Introducing the All-Time First-Team

Guard – Cliff Hagan

Cliff Hagan was technically a small forward when he last played in 1970, however, considering he is only 6’4, he will be a suitable shooting guard on the Hawks all-time first-team. Hagan, during his 10-year career with the Hawks, averaged 18.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and he had pretty solid shooting numbers at 45.0 percent from the field and 79.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Hagan also made five All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams while playing for the Hawks. Additionally, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. Hagan was a part of the Hawks teams with Bob Pettit which had some of the best seasons in team history. So not only did Hagan have individual success but the team was mighty successful in his time there.

One of the craziest parts about Hagan’s career is that at only 6’4 he averaged above 10 rebounds per game for three straight seasons from 1957-1960. This must have been why Hagan was slotted as a small forward, which would make a lot of sense. We don’t have much in terms of numbers that back of Hagan’s defensive impact, however, considering defensive rebounding is a huge part of defense, my assumption is that he was at least a solid defender.