Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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Here is the 1976–77 Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) roster and regular-season player statistics.

The 1976–77 Buffalo Braves were led by World B. Free, whose prolific scoring established him as the focal point of the offense while also providing secondary playmaking. Randy Smith complemented him with balanced scoring and ball-handling, and Swen Nater anchored the frontcourt with dominant rebounding and efficient interior production. The Clippers combined an up-tempo offensive approach with excellent work on the boards, but inconsistent defence and limited overall depth restricted their effectiveness.

Roster

NO. PLAYER POS HT WT BIRTH DATE COLLEGE
5 Fred Foster SF 6-5 210 March 18, 1946 Miami University
9 Randy Smith SG 6-3 180 December 12, 1948 Buffalo State
10 Don Adams SF 6-6 210 November 27, 1947 Northwestern
11 Bob McAdoo C 6-9 210 September 25, 1951 Vincennes University, UNC
11 Chuck Williams PG 6-2 175 June 6, 1946 Colorado
12 Claude Terry SG 6-4 195 January 12, 1950 Stanford
14 Bird Averitt SG 6-1 170 July 22, 1952 Pepperdine
15 Ernie DiGregorio PG 6-0 180 January 15, 1951 Providence
20 Moses Malone C 6-10 215 March 23, 1955  
21 Johnny Neumann SG 6-6 200 September 11, 1951 Ole Miss
22 Gus Gerard SF 6-8 200 July 27, 1953 Virginia
22 Clyde Mayes PF 6-8 225 March 17, 1953 Furman University
25 Jim Price PG 6-3 195 November 27, 1949 Louisville
34 John Shumate PF 6-9 235 April 6, 1952 Notre Dame
35 Zaid Abdul-Aziz C 6-9 235 April 7, 1946 Iowa State
40 John Gianelli C 6-10 220 June 10, 1950 University of the Pacific
44 Adrian Dantley SF 6-5 208 February 28, 1955 Notre Dame
52 George Johnson C 6-11 205 December 18, 1948 Dillard University
52 Tom McMillen C 6-11 215 May 26, 1952 Maryland

Head Coach: Tates Locke

Regular-Season Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TO FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Bob McAdoo C 25 20 20 38.4 23.7 13.2 3.3 0.8 1.7 3.7 20.0 .455 0 0 7.9 .696
Randy Smith SG 28 82 82 37.7 20.7 5.6 5.4 2.1 0.1 3.2 18.3 .467 0 0 4.7 .762
Adrian Dantley SF 21 77 77 36.6 20.3 7.6 1.9 1.2 0.2 2.8 13.6 .520 0 0 7.6 .818
John Shumate PF 24 74 74 35.1 15.1 9.5 2.1 1.2 1.1 2.7 10.9 .502 0 0 6.1 .671
Ernie DiGregorio PG 26 81 81 28.0 10.7 2.3 4.7 0.7 0.0 1.9 10.8 .417 0 0 1.8 .945
George Johnson C 28 39 39 27.1 7.6 10.3 2.0 0.6 2.7 3.6 7.2 .448 0 0 1.7 .687
John Gianelli C 26 57 57 22.5 7.0 5.2 1.0 0.4 1.2 2.1 7.0 .431 0 0 1.4 .714
Don Adams SF 29 77 77 22.2 7.3 4.8 1.9 1.0 0.2 2.6 6.8 .411 0 0 2.2 .746
Jim Price PG 27 20 20 16.7 5.3 1.7 1.9 1.3 0.3 2.6 5.2 .423 0 0 1.0 .850
Bird Averitt SG 24 75 75 15.1 7.9 1.0 1.8 0.4 0.1 1.7 8.3 .378 0 0 2.3 .716
Gus Gerard SF 23 41 41 14.4 5.9 2.9 1.0 0.6 0.8 2.2 6.0 .410 0 0 1.5 .656
Tom McMillen C 24 20 20 13.5 5.8 3.6 0.8 0.1 0.1 1.5 4.6 .489 0 0 1.8 .722
Chuck Williams PG 30 44 44 12.6 2.8 1.5 2.0 0.5 0.1 0.8 2.7 .368 0 0 1.1 .792
Johnny Neumann SG 25 4 4 12.3 8.8 2.3 1.0 0.8 0.5 1.8 8.5 .441 0 0 1.5 .833
Fred Foster SF 30 59 59 11.7 3.9 1.3 0.8 0.3 0.0 1.6 4.2 .401 0 0 0.7 .682
Claude Terry SG 27 33 33 9.2 3.5 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.8 3.2 .471 0 0 0.7 .783
Zaid Abdul-Aziz C 30 22 22 8.9 3.8 4.1 0.3 0.1 0.4 1.0 3.4 .338 0 0 2.0 .767
Clyde Mayes PF 23 2 2 3.5 1.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.5 .000 0 0 1.5 .667
Moses Malone C 21 2 2 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 — 0 0 0.0 —
Team Totals — — 82 — 240.6 105.0 46.8 23.0 8.3 4.8 22.5 91.2 .450 0 0 30.4 .754

Regular-Season Totals

Player Pos Age GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FGA FG 3PA 3P FTA FT
Randy Smith SG 28 82 82 3094 1698 457 441 176 8 264 1504 702 0 0 386 294
Adrian Dantley SF 21 77 77 2816 1564 587 144 91 15 215 1046 544 0 0 582 476
John Shumate PF 24 74 74 2601 1116 701 159 90 84 197 810 407 0 0 450 302
Ernie DiGregorio PG 26 81 81 2267 868 184 378 57 3 150 875 365 0 0 146 138
Don Adams SF 29 77 77 1710 561 371 150 74 16 201 526 216 0 0 173 129
John Gianelli C 26 57 57 1283 397 297 57 21 70 117 397 171 0 0 77 55
Bird Averitt SG 24 75 75 1136 589 78 134 30 5 127 619 234 0 0 169 121
George Johnson C 28 39 39 1055 296 400 78 22 104 141 279 125 0 0 67 46
Bob McAdoo C 25 20 20 767 474 264 65 16 34 74 400 182 0 0 158 110
Fred Foster SF 30 59 59 689 228 76 48 16 0 92 247 99 0 0 44 30
Gus Gerard SF 23 41 41 592 240 117 43 23 32 91 244 100 0 0 61 40
Chuck Williams PG 30 44 44 556 124 67 88 24 3 34 117 43 0 0 48 38
Jim Price PG 27 20 20 333 105 34 38 25 5 52 104 44 0 0 20 17
Claude Terry SG 27 33 33 304 116 28 33 11 0 27 104 49 0 0 23 18
Tom McMillen C 24 20 20 270 116 72 16 1 2 29 92 45 0 0 36 26
Zaid Abdul-Aziz C 30 22 22 195 83 90 7 3 9 21 74 25 0 0 43 33
Johnny Neumann SG 25 4 4 49 35 9 4 3 2 7 34 15 0 0 6 5
Clyde Mayes PF 23 2 2 7 2 3 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 3 2
Moses Malone C 21 2 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team Totals — — 82 — 19730 8612 3836 1883 683 392 1842 7475 3366 0 0 2492 1880

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK Impact Index* Notes
Bob McAdoo Star Scorer 38.4 High 23.7 13.2 3.3 2.5 21.35 Dominant offensive anchor; elite rebounding for C; solid rim protection.
Randy Smith Primary Creator 37.7 High 20.7 5.6 5.4 2.2 16.95 High usage combo guard; excellent slasher and playmaker; strong defensive activity.
Adrian Dantley Emerging Star 36.6 High 20.3 7.6 1.9 1.4 15.6 Rookie of the Year; highly efficient scorer; improving rebounding; developing defense.
John Shumate Two-Way PF 35.1 Medium 15.1 9.5 2.1 2.3 14.5 Strong interior presence; balanced scoring and rebounding; improving defensive versatility.
Ernie DiGregorio Facilitator PG 28.0 Medium 10.7 2.3 4.7 0.7 9.2 Floor general; high assist rate; limited scoring; defensive contributions modest.
George Johnson Backup C 27.1 Medium 7.6 10.3 2.0 3.3 11.6 Strong defensive presence; solid rebounding; scoring limited; energy off bench.
John Gianelli Rotational C 22.5 Low 7.0 5.2 1.0 1.6 7.4 Limited minutes; reliable role player in paint; modest impact across categories.
Don Adams 3&D SF 22.2 Low 7.3 4.8 1.9 1.2 7.6 Bench scorer/defender; capable wing defense; moderate offensive role.
Bird Averitt Backup SG 15.1 Low 7.9 1.0 1.8 0.5 5.6 Spot minutes; secondary scoring; minimal defensive impact.
Gus Gerard Development SF 14.4 Low 5.9 2.9 1.0 1.4 5.6 Young wing; rotational contributor; limited minutes.
Tom McMillen Backup C 13.5 Low 5.8 3.6 0.8 0.2 5.2 Limited minutes; low-impact backup; efficient inside scoring.
Chuck Williams Spot PG 12.6 Low 2.8 1.5 2.0 0.6 3.45 Role player; backup ball-handling duties; minimal scoring.
Johnny Neumann Reserve SG 12.3 Low 8.8 2.3 1.0 1.3 6.7 Scoring punch off bench; inconsistent due to limited minutes.
Fred Foster Bench SF 11.7 Low 3.9 1.3 0.8 0.3 3.15 Limited impact; spot minutes only.
Claude Terry Bench SG 9.2 Low 3.5 0.8 1.0 0.3 2.8 Minimal contribution; situational usage.
Zaid Abdul-Aziz Reserve C 8.9 Low 3.8 4.1 0.3 0.5 4.35 Backup center; provides modest interior defense/rebounding.
Clyde Mayes Limited PF 3.5 Low 1.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 1.25 Very limited minutes; negligible impact.
Moses Malone Future Star 3.0 Low 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.25 Rookie; minimal playing time; immense long-term potential (MVP candidate).