Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > LA Clippers > Roster & Statistics
Below are the tables for the 1977-78 Buffalo Braves season —the last year the club played in Buffalo before moving west and, eventually, becoming today’s Los Angeles Clippers.
The 1977–78 Buffalo Braves relied on World B. Free as their primary offensive catalyst, with his high-volume scoring driving the team’s attack. Randy Smith complemented him with secondary scoring and playmaking, while Swen Nater anchored the frontcourt through elite rebounding and efficient interior scoring. The Clippers combined an aggressive perimeter offense with dominant work on the glass, but inconsistent defensive production and limited overall balance hindered their ability to sustain success.
Roster
| NO. | PLAYER | POS | HT | WT | BIRTH DATE | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Gary Brokaw | SG | 6-4 | 178 | January 11, 1954 | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Marvin Barnes | PF | 6-9 | 225 | July 27, 1952 | Providence |
| 9 | Randy Smith | SG | 6-3 | 180 | December 12, 1948 | Buffalo State |
| 10 | Larry Johnson | SG | 6-3 | 205 | November 28, 1954 | Kentucky |
| 11 | Chuck Williams | PG | 6-2 | 175 | June 6, 1946 | Colorado |
| 12 | Ted McClain | PG | 6-1 | 180 | August 30, 1946 | Tennessee State |
| 14 | Mike Glenn | SG | 6-2 | 175 | September 10, 1955 | Southern Illinois |
| 15 | Bird Averitt | SG | 6-1 | 170 | July 22, 1952 | Pepperdine |
| 22 | Gus Gerard | SF | 6-8 | 200 | July 27, 1953 | Virginia |
| 24 | Wil Jones | PF | 6-8 | 205 | February 27, 1947 | Albany State University |
| 25 | Billy Knight | SF | 6-6 | 195 | June 9, 1952 | Pitt |
| 31 | Swen Nater | C | 6-11 | 240 | January 14, 1950 | Cypress College, UCLA |
| 32 | Bill Willoughby | SF | 6-8 | 205 | May 20, 1957 | |
| 34 | John Shumate | PF | 6-9 | 235 | April 6, 1952 | Notre Dame |
| 40 | Eddie Owens | SF | 6-7 | 210 | December 26, 1953 | UNLV |
| 43 | Larry McNeill | PF | 6-9 | 195 | January 31, 1951 | Marquette |
| 44 | Jim McDaniels | C | 6-11 | 228 | April 2, 1948 | Western Kentucky |
| 45 | Scott Lloyd | C | 6-10 | 230 | December 19, 1952 | Arizona State |
Head Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons
Regular-Season Per Game
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | MP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOV | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World B. Free | PG | 25 | 78 | – | 37.9 | 28.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 21.2 | .481 | – | – | 11.1 | .756 |
| Randy Smith | SG | 30 | 82 | 82 | 37.9 | 20.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 18.6 | .455 | – | – | 4.4 | .813 |
| Kermit Washington | PF | 27 | 82 | – | 33.7 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 7.6 | .562 | – | – | 4.0 | .688 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | SF | 28 | 82 | – | 32.2 | 13.8 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 12.2 | .480 | – | – | 2.9 | .739 |
| Sidney Wicks | PF | 29 | 79 | – | 25.6 | 9.8 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 8.6 | .462 | – | – | 2.9 | .650 |
| Swen Nater | C | 29 | 79 | – | 25.4 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 7.9 | .569 | – | – | 2.1 | .800 |
| Kevin Kunnert | C | 27 | 81 | – | 20.8 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 6.2 | .467 | – | – | 1.0 | .659 |
| Freeman Williams | SG | 22 | 72 | – | 16.6 | 10.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 9.5 | .490 | – | – | 1.4 | .776 |
| Connie Norman | SG | 25 | 22 | – | 14.7 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 7.5 | .430 | – | – | 1.0 | .826 |
| Bob Bigelow | SF | 25 | 29 | – | 14.2 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.1 | .400 | – | – | 0.7 | .619 |
| Brian Taylor | PG | 27 | 20 | – | 10.6 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 4.2 | .361 | – | – | 0.9 | .889 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | SG | 22 | 4 | – | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | .125 | – | – | 0.5 | 1.000 |
| Scott Lloyd | C | 26 | 5 | – | 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | .000 | – | – | 0.0 | – |
| John Olive | SF | 23 | 34 | – | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | .325 | – | – | 0.7 | .783 |
| Jerome Whitehead | C | 22 | 31 | – | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | .441 | – | – | 0.6 | .444 |
| Team Totals | – | – | 82 | 82 | 240.6 | 113.1 | 46.4 | 18.8 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 19.8 | 94.0 | .483 | – | – | 30.1 | .743 |
1977-78 Regular-Season Totals
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | Min | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FGA | FGM | 3PA | 3PM | FTA | FTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Smith | – | 30 | 82 | 82 | 3111 | 1678 | 295 | 395 | 177 | 5 | 255 | 1523 | 693 | – | – | 359 | 292 |
| World B. Free | – | 25 | 78 | – | 2954 | 2244 | 301 | 340 | 111 | 35 | 297 | 1653 | 795 | – | – | 865 | 654 |
| Kermit Washington | – | 27 | 82 | – | 2764 | 927 | 800 | 125 | 85 | 121 | 185 | 623 | 350 | – | – | 330 | 227 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | – | 28 | 82 | – | 2642 | 1134 | 454 | 135 | 80 | 37 | 184 | 998 | 479 | – | – | 238 | 176 |
| Sidney Wicks | – | 29 | 79 | – | 2022 | 771 | 405 | 126 | 70 | 36 | 180 | 676 | 312 | – | – | 226 | 147 |
| Swen Nater | – | 29 | 79 | – | 2006 | 846 | 701 | 140 | 38 | 29 | 170 | 627 | 357 | – | – | 165 | 132 |
| Kevin Kunnert | – | 27 | 81 | – | 1684 | 524 | 569 | 113 | 45 | 118 | 141 | 501 | 234 | – | – | 85 | 56 |
| Freeman Williams | – | 22 | 72 | – | 1195 | 746 | 98 | 83 | 42 | 2 | 99 | 683 | 335 | – | – | 98 | 76 |
| Bob Bigelow | – | 25 | 29 | – | 413 | 85 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 90 | 36 | – | – | 21 | 13 |
| Connie Norman | – | 25 | 22 | – | 323 | 161 | 32 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 22 | 165 | 71 | – | – | 23 | 19 |
| Brian Taylor | – | 27 | 20 | – | 212 | 76 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 0 | 17 | 83 | 30 | – | – | 18 | 16 |
| John Olive | – | 23 | 34 | – | 189 | 44 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 40 | 13 | – | – | 23 | 18 |
| Jerome Whitehead | – | 22 | 31 | – | 152 | 38 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 15 | – | – | 18 | 8 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | – | 22 | 4 | – | 32 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Scott Lloyd | – | 26 | 5 | – | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | – | – | 82 | 82 | 19730 | 9278 | 3805 | 1539 | 703 | 392 | 1601 | 7706 | 3721 | – | – | 2471 | 1836 |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG+BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World B. Free | Alpha Scorer | 37.9 | High | 28.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 19.5 | MVP-caliber output; primary offensive engine; solid all-around contribution. |
| Randy Smith | Lead Facilitator | 37.9 | High | 20.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 15.6 | Balanced scorer/creator; elite defensive activity for a guard; consistent starter. |
| Kermit Washington | Defensive Anchor | 33.7 | Medium | 11.3 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 12.8 | Rim protector and rebounder; moderate usage but high impact on both ends; growth in defensive IQ. |
| Nick Weatherspoon | Secondary Scorer | 32.2 | Medium | 13.8 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 11.2 | Reliable scoring and mid-level defensive contributions; steady production in PF/SF role. |
| Swen Nater | Rebounding Specialist | 25.4 | Medium-Low | 10.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 11.1 | Strong rebounder; efficient scoring; limited usage but impactful per-minute production. |
| Sidney Wicks | Role Scorer | 25.6 | Medium-Low | 9.8 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 9.9 | Reliable bench or secondary PF scoring; moderate defense; stable contribution. |
| Kevin Kunnert | Backup Big | 20.8 | Low | 6.5 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 8.5 | Good defensive activity; bench minutes, effective in limited role; positive per-36 impact. |
| Freeman Williams | Spot Scorer | 16.6 | Low | 10.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 6.8 | Young SG with scoring potential; limited minutes; needs growth in playmaking/defense. |