Last Updated on September 17, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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The 1968–69 Denver Rockets featured a balanced attack led by Larry Jones, whose scoring and playmaking made him the offensive engine. Ron Boone supplied another major scoring threat from the backcourt, while Byron Beck provided consistent frontcourt production and rebounding. Denver’s core contributed across multiple areas, giving the team balanced offensive distribution, solid work on the glass, and dependable two-way production rather than relying on a single dominant interior presence.

Here is the Denver Rockets (now Denver Nuggets) 1968–69 ABA season roster and player statistics. The team was still called the Denver Rockets during this season.

Roster

NO. PLAYER NAME POS HT WT DOB COLLEGE
10 Grant Simmons PG 6-3 190 March 7, 1943 Nebraska
11 Bob Verga SG 6-1 190 September 7, 1945 Duke
12 John Fairchild SF 6-8 205 April 28, 1943 Palomar College, BYU
12 Levern Tart SG 6-2 195 June 1, 1942 Bradley
14 Jeff Congdon PG 6-1 180 October 17, 1943 BYU
22 Julian Hammond SF 6-5 205 May 27, 1943 Tulsa
24 Billy McGill C 6-9 225 September 16, 1939 Utah
30 Ken Wilburn SF 6-6 195 June 8, 1944 Central State University
32 Larry Jones PG 6-2 180 September 22, 1942 Toledo
34 Walt Piatkowski PF 6-8 220 June 11, 1945 Bowling Green
40 Byron Beck C 6-9 225 January 25, 1945 Columbia Basin College, Denver
42 Lonnie Wright SG 6-2 205 January 23, 1945 Colorado State
44 Willie Rogers SG 6-3 185 September 11, 1945 Oklahoma
50 Charley Parks F 6-5 210 June 19, 1946 Idaho State University
52 Larry Bunce C 7-0 240 July 29, 1945 Texas-El Paso, Riverside Community College, Utah State University
54 Wayne Hightower PF 6-8 192 January 14, 1940 Kansas

Regular Season Per Game

PN POS AGE G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Larry Jones PG 26 75   40.6 28.4 6.6 3.4     2.9 21.7 .465 1.3 .240 10.1 .778
Lonnie Wright SG 24 69   36.8 16.4 4.2 2.5     2.3 15.8 .416 1.2 .221 4.0 .743
Wayne Hightower PF 29 67   34.6 13.9 9.6 3.0     2.6 11.4 .408 0.0 .000 6.4 .730
Byron Beck C 24 71   32.2 14.5 11.0 1.1     1.3 11.9 .502 0.0 .667 3.4 .765
Julian Hammond SF 25 78   29.9 10.6 7.7 1.6     1.9 7.7 .547 0.0   3.2 .652
Bob Verga SG 23 6   25.0 11.2 3.5 1.8     4.2 12.8 .312 0.5 .333 4.7 .643
Walt Piatkowski PF 23 77   23.6 12.2 4.7 0.6     1.3 12.4 .417 1.1 .329 2.0 .775
Billy McGill C 29 78   22.6 12.8 5.9 1.3     1.9 9.6 .552 0.0   3.4 .682
Levern Tart SG 26 20   17.3 7.7 2.6 2.2     2.1 8.0 .352 0.1 .000 2.8 .750
Jeff Congdon PG 25 59   16.6 4.9 1.6 2.3     1.6 4.7 .386 0.5 .161 1.4 .812
Grant Simmons PG 25 17   14.8 3.8 1.5 0.9     1.0 3.5 .373 0.1 .500 1.7 .690
John Fairchild SF 25 11   12.3 3.6 1.6 0.8     1.4 3.1 .353 0.0   2.2 .667
Ken Wilburn SF 24 37   11.1 4.7 4.8 0.6     1.0 4.9 .398 0.0   1.5 .526
Larry Bunce C 23 23   9.8 4.0 2.5 0.1     0.9 2.6 .373 0.0   3.0 .700
Willie Rogers SG 23 40   7.4 2.1 1.2 0.4     0.8 2.0 .338 0.1 .000 1.3 .596
Charley Parks     2   2.5 0.0 0.0 0.0     0.0 0.5 .000 0.0   0.0  
Team Totals     78   242.2 114.9 52.8 15.9     17.1 96.8 .454 4.0 .252 35.5 .732

Playoff Per Game

PN POS AGE G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Larry Jones PG 26 7   40.3 22.0 7.7 4.6     2.4 19.1 .358 1.1 .375 10.9 .724
Lonnie Wright SG 24 7   32.0 12.0 5.3 2.0     1.0 12.3 .360 1.1 .250 4.0 .714
Byron Beck C 24 7   30.6 15.7 9.0 1.3     1.9 13.6 .505 0.1 .000 2.4 .824
Walt Piatkowski PF 23 7   28.7 15.3 4.1 0.9     1.9 15.9 .432 1.3 .111 1.6 .909
Julian Hammond SF 25 7   27.3 13.0 7.1 0.6     2.0 9.1 .516 0.0   4.7 .758
Wayne Hightower PF 29 7   26.7 12.0 6.7 1.7     2.6 9.0 .397 0.0   6.4 .756
Jeff Congdon PG 25 7   26.1 8.9 2.3 4.9     2.6 6.0 .476 0.3 .000 3.1 1.000
Billy McGill C 29 7   13.7 6.7 3.3 0.9     0.6 5.6 .487 0.0   1.4 .900
Ken Wilburn SF 24 7   13.3 5.1 4.6 0.7     1.6 4.7 .485 0.0   2.3 .250
Grant Simmons PG 25 2   4.5 0.0 0.0 0.0     0.0 0.5 .000 0.0   0.0  
Team Totals     7   240.0 110.7 50.1 17.4     16.4 95.4 .431 4.0 .214 36.9 .748

Regular Season Totals

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
Larry Jones PG 26 75   3042 2133 493 258     218 1631 759 100 24 760 591
Lonnie Wright SG 24 69   2538 1130 290 175     160 1089 453 86 19 276 205
Julian Hammond SF 25 78   2335 823 600 124     152 601 329 0 0 253 165
Wayne Hightower PF 29 67   2318 933 641 203     176 762 311 2 0 426 311
Byron Beck C 24 71   2289 1030 779 77     92 843 423 3 2 238 182
Walt Piatkowski PF 23 77   1819 942 363 46     100 956 399 82 27 151 117
Billy McGill C 29 78   1760 1002 460 102     149 745 411 0 0 264 180
Jeff Congdon PG 25 59   979 288 93 135     97 277 107 31 5 85 69
Ken Wilburn SF 24 37   409 174 177 22     37 181 72 0 0 57 30
Levern Tart SG 26 20   345 154 51 44     42 159 56 2 0 56 42
Willie Rogers SG 23 40   294 85 47 16     30 80 27 3 0 52 31
Grant Simmons PG 25 17   252 65 26 15     17 59 22 2 1 29 20
Larry Bunce C 23 23   225 93 58 2     21 59 22 0 0 70 49
Bob Verga SG 23 6   150 67 21 11     25 77 24 3 1 28 18
John Fairchild SF 25 11   135 40 18 9     15 34 12 0 0 24 16
Charley Parks     2   5 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS     78   18895 8959 4117 1239     1331 7554 3427 314 79 2769 2026

Playoff Totals

PLAYER POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
Larry Jones   26 7   282 154 54 32     17 134 48 8 3 76 55
Lonnie Wright   24 7   224 84 37 14     7 86 31 8 2 28 20
Byron Beck   24 7   214 110 63 9     13 95 48 1 0 17 14
Walt Piatkowski   23 7   201 107 29 6     13 111 48 9 1 11 10
Julian Hammond   25 7   191 91 50 4     14 64 33 0 0 33 25
Wayne Hightower   29 7   187 84 47 12     18 63 25 0 0 45 34
Jeff Congdon   25 7   183 62 16 34     18 42 20 2 0 22 22
Billy McGill   29 7   96 47 23 6     4 39 19 0 0 10 9
Ken Wilburn   24 7   93 36 32 5     11 33 16 0 0 16 4
Grant Simmons   25 2   9 0 0 0     0 1 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS     7   1680 775 351 122     115 668 288 28 6 258 193

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK* Impact Index* Notes Awards
Larry Jones Lead Creator & Scorer 40.6 High 28.4 6.6 3.4 ~1.0† ~19.7 Jones was the engine of the Rockets’ offense in 1968–69, averaging a league‑leading 2,133 points per the season total.  MVP-3, All-Star 
Lonnie Wright Emerging Two-Way Wing 36.8 Medium 16.4 4.2 2.5 ~0.8† ~11.9 Wright brought athleticism and versatility on both ends; his 4.2 rebounds per game show he contributed more than just scoring.  —
Wayne Hightower Power Frontcourt Option 34.6 Medium 13.9 9.6 3.0 ~0.9† ~13.7 Hightower provided inside scoring and solid rebounding, giving Denver a physical presence in the paint.  All-Star 
Byron Beck Rebound Anchor & Role Big 32.2 Medium 14.5 11.0 1.1 ~0.9† ~13.3 A core piece for the Rockets, Beck’s double‑digit rebounding (11.0 RPG) kept Denver competitive. —
Julian Hammond Efficient Wing Contributor 29.9 Medium‑Low 10.6 7.7 1.6 ~0.8† ~10.3 Hammond posted a very efficient .547 FG% and played key minutes on the wing, contributing both scoring and boards.   
Bob Verga Spot Scorer 25.0 Low 11.2 3.5 1.8 ~0.6† ~8.5 Though he only appeared in 6 games, Verga showed scoring ability when given the opportunity.  
Walt Piatkowski Stretch Forward 23.6 Low 12.2 4.7 0.6 ~0.5† ~8.0 Piatkowski contributed floor spacing and regular scoring from the forward spot, making his minutes count.   
Billy McGill Scoring Big 22.6 Low 12.8 5.9 1.3 ~0.7† ~10.4 McGill was efficient (55.2% FG) and added depth to the frontcourt with scoring and rebounding.   
Levern Tart Depth Guard 17.3 Very Low 7.7 2.6 2.2 ~0.5† ~6.5 Tart played limited games, but contributed as reserve guard when called upon.   
Jeff Congdon Backup Playmaker 16.6 Very Low 4.9 1.6 2.3 ~0.4† ~4.6 Provided backup point‑guard duties and facilitated when starters rested, though scoring was limited.   
Grant Simmons Developmental Guard 14.8 Very Low 3.8 1.5 0.9 ~0.3† ~3.5 Played only 17 games, likely used in developmental or low‑leverage roles.   
John Fairchild Reserve Wing 12.3 Very Low 3.6 1.6 0.8 ~0.3† ~3.2 Very limited minutes in only 11 games; primarily depth wing option.   
Ken Wilburn Role Wing / Forward 11.1 Very Low 4.7 4.8 0.6 ~0.4† ~4.2 Though his minutes were sparse, he offered some rebounding from the wing.   
Larry Bunce Deep Reserve C 9.8 Very Low 4.0 2.5 0.1 ~0.3† ~3.4 Played very little, used for depth at center.   
Willie Rogers End‑of‑Bench SG 7.4 Very Low 2.1 1.2 0.4 ~0.2† ~1.9 A reserve guard with limited impact in very restricted minutes.   
Charley Parks Emergency Depth 2.5 Very Low 0.0 0.5 0.0 ~0.1† ~0.3 Played only 2 games; minimal statistical and rotation impact.   

* STK = Combined steals + blocks – estimates, not recorded for many ABA players.
† Impact Index = (PPG + RPG + APG + STK) ÷ 2 (using estimated STK).