Last Updated on July 29, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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The 1977–78 New Orleans Jazz were built around Truck Robinson, whose scoring and rebounding established him as the team’s primary interior force, while Pete Maravich carried much of the offensive creation with his scoring and playmaking. Bernard Johnson added reliable secondary scoring, and James Hardy contributed on the glass. The Jazz relied on their star offensive duo to generate production, but inconsistent defense and limited overall depth prevented the team from developing into a more balanced unit.

Note: The team was still based in New Orleans and called the New Orleans Jazz during the 1977–78 season.

Roster

No. Player Pos Height Weight Birth Date College
7 Pete Maravich G 6’5″ 197 lbs Jun 22, 1947 LSU
33 Rich Kelley C 7’0″ 235 lbs Mar 23, 1953 Stanford
34 Truck Robinson F 6’7″ 225 lbs Oct 4, 1951 Tennessee State
10 Jim McElroy G 6’3″ 190 lbs Oct 4, 1953 Central Michigan
22 Ron Boone G 6’2″ 200 lbs Sep 6, 1946 Idaho State
30 Paul Griffin F 6’9″ 205 lbs Feb 2, 1954 Western Michigan
42 Aaron James F 6’8″ 210 lbs Oct 5, 1952 Grambling State
25 Gail Goodrich G 6’1″ 170 lbs Apr 23, 1943 UCLA
31 Bubbles Hawkins G 6’2″ 180 lbs Jun 30, 1954 Illinois State
35 Essie Hollis F 6’6″ 210 lbs May 16, 1953 St. Bonaventure
44 Bernard Hardin F 6’7″ 205 lbs Apr 6, 1954 Grambling State
11 Henry Ward G 6’4″ 195 lbs Jan 30, 1952 Jackson State

Regular Season Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TOV FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Truck Robinson PF 26 82 82 44.4 22.7 15.7 2.1 0.9 1.0 3.7 20.5 .444 0 — 7.0 .640
Pete Maravich SG 30 50 — 40.8 27.0 3.6 6.7 2.0 0.2 5.0 25.1 .444 0 — 5.5 .870
Gail Goodrich SG 34 81 — 31.5 16.1 2.2 4.8 1.0 0.3 2.5 13.0 .495 0 — 4.1 .795
Aaron James SF 25 80 — 26.5 12.2 5.3 1.4 0.5 0.3 1.6 10.8 .497 0 — 2.0 .745
Rich Kelley C 24 82 — 25.8 10.2 9.3 2.8 1.1 1.6 2.7 7.3 .505 0 — 3.5 .779
Jim McElroy PG 24 74 — 23.8 9.4 2.0 3.9 0.8 0.5 1.9 8.2 .473 0 — 2.3 .737
Joe Meriweather C 24 54 — 23.6 8.8 6.9 1.1 0.3 2.2 1.7 7.6 .472 0 — 2.5 .654
Paul Griffin PF 24 82 — 22.6 5.3 6.2 2.1 1.1 0.5 1.8 4.4 .447 0 — 1.9 .713
Slick Watts PG 26 39 — 19.9 7.2 2.5 4.1 1.4 0.4 1.9 7.3 .381 0 — 2.6 .602
Freddie Boyd SG 27 21 — 17.3 4.9 0.9 2.3 0.4 0.1 1.0 5.2 .400 0 — 1.0 .636
Nate Williams SG 27 27 — 16.1 7.8 3.3 1.3 0.8 0.4 0.9 7.9 .421 0 — 1.4 .838
Fred Saunders SF 26 30 — 13.3 5.0 2.5 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.7 4.8 .483 0 — 0.6 .632
Gus Bailey SG 26 48 — 9.4 3.2 1.7 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.7 2.9 .424 0 — 1.4 .552
Team Totals — — 82 82 241.2 107.6 51.4 25.4 8.1 6.3 20.7 94.1 .462 0 — 28.4 .725

Regular Season Totals

Player Pos Age GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
Truck Robinson PF 26 82 82 3638 1862 1288 171 73 79 301 1683 748 0 — 572 366
Gail Goodrich SG 34 81 — 2553 1304 177 388 82 22 205 1050 520 0 — 332 264
Rich Kelley C 24 82 — 2119 833 759 233 89 129 225 602 304 0 — 289 225
Aaron James SF 25 80 — 2118 973 421 112 36 22 130 861 428 0 — 157 117
Pete Maravich SG 30 50 — 2041 1352 178 335 101 8 248 1253 556 0 — 276 240
Paul Griffin PF 24 82 — 1853 432 510 172 88 45 150 358 160 0 — 157 112
Jim McElroy PG 24 74 — 1760 697 148 292 58 34 141 607 287 0 — 167 123
Joe Meriweather C 24 54 — 1277 475 372 58 18 118 94 411 194 0 — 133 87
Slick Watts PG 26 39 — 775 280 98 161 55 17 76 286 109 0 — 103 62
Gus Bailey SG 26 48 — 449 155 82 40 18 15 33 139 59 0 — 67 37
Nate Williams SG 27 27 — 434 211 90 34 21 12 25 214 90 0 — 37 31
Fred Saunders SF 26 30 — 400 150 74 35 14 10 22 143 69 0 — 19 12
Freddie Boyd SG 27 21 — 363 102 19 48 9 3 20 110 44 0 — 22 14
Team Totals — — 82 82 19780 8826 4216 2079 662 514 1670 7717 3568 0 — 2331 1690

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK (SPG+BPG) Impact Index* Notes
Truck Robinson Alpha Big 44.4 High 22.7 15.7 2.1 1.9 21.2 Dominant frontcourt anchor; MVP-caliber season. Elite rebounding and scoring with solid defensive presence.
Pete Maravich Primary Creator 40.8 High 27.0 3.6 6.7 2.2 19.8 Offensive engine; high usage, elite scoring and playmaking. Needs defensive support.
Gail Goodrich Secondary Scorer 31.5 Medium 16.1 2.2 4.8 1.3 12.2 Efficient scoring off the ball; contributes in assists, good spacing piece.
Aaron James Two-Way Wing 26.5 Medium 12.2 5.3 1.4 0.8 9.85 Solid perimeter scoring with rebounding upside; emerging defensive versatility.
Rich Kelley Defensive Big 25.8 Medium 10.2 9.3 2.8 2.7 12.5 Strong rim protection and rebounding; scoring limited but high efficiency.
Jim McElroy Facilitator 23.8 Medium 9.4 2.0 3.9 1.3 8.3 Steady floor general; moderate scoring, contributes in distributing the ball.
Joe Meriweather Backup Big 23.6 Low 8.8 6.9 1.1 2.5 9.65 Defensive-minded rotation player; provides energy and rim protection.
Paul Griffin Role Player 22.6 Low 5.3 6.2 2.1 1.6 7.6 Energy contributor; solid rebounding and defense in limited minutes.
Slick Watts Change-of-Pace 19.9 Medium 7.2 2.5 4.1 1.8 7.8 Quick playmaker off the bench; facilitates offense, steals some defensive attention.
Freddie Boyd Bench Scorer 17.3 Low 4.9 0.9 2.3 0.5 4.3 Limited usage; small scoring bursts, low impact overall.
Nate Williams Spot SG 16.1 Low 7.8 3.3 1.3 1.2 6.8 Provides secondary scoring in bursts; moderate defensive contribution.
Fred Saunders Development 13.3 Low 5.0 2.5 1.2 0.8 4.75 Role player minutes; occasional scoring, low impact.
Gus Bailey Deep Bench 9.4 Low 3.2 1.7 0.8 0.7 3.2 Limited minutes; minimal impact, deep rotation depth.