Five Former Atlanta Hawks Who Would Help Current Team
By Dallin Duffy
Bob Pettit
Bob Pettit is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished Hawks ever, suiting up 11 seasons for the franchise that moved from Milwaukee to St. Louis after his rookie season. The big man amazingly made the All-Star game in each of his 11 seasons, winning four All-Star MVPs along the way.
He won two league MVPs, lead the league in scoring twice, won the 1955 Rookie of the Year, made 11 All-NBA teams, and helped the franchise win their only championship in 1958.
Despite the astounding resume, it is a bit hard to project Pettit’s fit in the modern NBA given how different the game was during his run. The Hawks smartly moved him to power forward after drafting him as a center, and his 6’9 frame is perfect for a modern four.
His scoring would likely still be out-dated, but one thing would easily translate: rebounding. Pettit was consistently among the league-leaders in rebounds per game, with the forward averaging 16.2 per game on his career, peaking in 1961 with over 20 per contest.
The game was much faster back then, leading to more shot attempts and thus, rebound opportunities, but Pettit was a smart, unrelenting force on the boards which would be a great addition to the modern Hawks.
Celtics great Bill Russell said of Pettit: “Bob made ‘second effort’ a part of the sports vocabulary. He kept coming at you more than any man in the game. He was always battling for position, fighting you off the boards.”