Last Updated on July 29, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Milwaukee Bucks > Roster & Statistics
The Milwaukee Bucks 1978–79 featured a balanced attack led by Marques Johnson, whose scoring, rebounding, and efficient shooting made him the team’s focal point. Brian Winters provided dependable perimeter scoring, while Quinn Buckner handled the primary playmaking duties and Sidney Moncrief contributed as a versatile two-way guard. The statistics reflect a well-rounded team built on balanced scoring, strong ball movement, and solid rebounding from multiple contributors.
Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Birth Date | Age | College | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Brian Winters | G | 6-4 | 185 lbs | Mar 1, 1952 | 27 | South Carolina | 4 |
| 5 | Junior Bridgeman | G/F | 6-5 | 210 lbs | Sep 17, 1953 | 25 | Louisville | 3 |
| 6 | Dave Meyers | F | 6-8 | 215 lbs | Apr 21, 1953 | 25 | UCLA | 3 |
| 10 | Harvey Catchings | C/F | 6-9 | 218 lbs | Sep 2, 1951 | 27 | Hardin–Simmons | 4 |
| 12 | Quinn Buckner | G | 6-3 | 190 lbs | Aug 20, 1954 | 24 | Indiana | 3 |
| 14 | Ernie Grunfeld | G/F | 6-6 | 210 lbs | Apr 24, 1955 | 24 | Tennessee | 1 |
| 15 | Alex English | F | 6-7 | 190 lbs | Jan 5, 1954 | 25 | South Carolina | 2 |
| 20 | Lloyd Walton | G | 6-1 | 160 lbs | Nov 23, 1953 | 25 | Marquette | 2 |
| 21 | George Johnson | C | 6-11 | 205 lbs | Dec 18, 1948 | 30 | Stephen F. Austin | 6 |
| 22 | Pat Cummings | F/C | 6-9 | 225 lbs | Jul 11, 1956 | 22 | Cincinnati | R |
| 32 | Marques Johnson | F | 6-7 | 218 lbs | Feb 8, 1956 | 23 | UCLA | 1 |
R = Rookie
Regular Season Per Game
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marques Johnson | SF | 22 | 77 | — | 36.1 | 25.6 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 19.4 | 10.6 | .550 | — | — | — | 5.7 | 4.3 | .760 |
| Brian Winters | SG | 26 | 79 | — | 32.6 | 19.8 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 17.0 | 8.4 | .493 | — | — | — | 3.5 | 3.0 | .856 |
| Junior Bridgeman | SG | 25 | 82 | — | 23.9 | 15.5 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 13.0 | 6.6 | .506 | — | — | — | 2.8 | 2.3 | .829 |
| Kent Benson | C | 24 | 82 | — | 26.0 | 12.3 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 9.7 | 5.0 | .518 | — | — | — | 3.0 | 2.2 | .735 |
| Ernie Grunfeld | SF | 23 | 82 | — | 21.7 | 10.3 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 8.1 | 4.0 | .493 | — | — | — | 3.1 | 2.3 | .761 |
| Kevin Restani | PF | 27 | 81 | — | 19.7 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 6.5 | 3.2 | .495 | — | — | — | 0.9 | 0.6 | .699 |
| John Gianelli | C | 28 | 82 | — | 25.1 | 7.1 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 6.4 | 3.1 | .486 | — | — | — | 1.2 | 0.9 | .706 |
| Quinn Buckner | PG | 24 | 81 | — | 21.7 | 7.2 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 3.1 | .454 | — | — | — | 1.5 | 1.0 | .632 |
| George Johnson | PF | 22 | 67 | — | 17.3 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 5.1 | 2.5 | .482 | — | — | — | 1.7 | 1.3 | .718 |
| Lloyd Walton | PG | 25 | 75 | — | 18.4 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 2.1 | .480 | — | — | — | 1.2 | 0.8 | .678 |
| Sam Smith | SF | 24 | 16 | — | 7.8 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .404 | — | — | — | 1.5 | 1.1 | .750 |
| Otis Howard | PF | 22 | 3 | — | 7.3 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 1.7 | .455 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |
| Norm Van Lier | PG | 31 | 38 | — | 14.6 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | .390 | — | — | — | 1.4 | 1.2 | .904 |
| Del Beshore | PG | 22 | 1 | — | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |
| TEAM TOTALS | — | — | 82 | — | 242.4 | 114.1 | 43.0 | 31.2 | 10.5 | 5.3 | 19.2 | 94.8 | 47.6 | .503 | — | — | — | 24.6 | 18.8 | .762 |
Regular Season Totals
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marques Johnson | SF | 22 | 77 | — | 2779 | 1972 | 586 | 234 | 116 | 89 | 170 | 1491 | 820 | .550 | — | — | — | 437 | 332 | .760 |
| Brian Winters | SG | 26 | 79 | — | 2575 | 1561 | 177 | 383 | 83 | 40 | 257 | 1343 | 662 | .493 | — | — | — | 277 | 237 | .856 |
| Junior Bridgeman | SG | 25 | 82 | — | 1963 | 1269 | 297 | 163 | 88 | 41 | 138 | 1067 | 540 | .506 | — | — | — | 228 | 189 | .829 |
| Kent Benson | C | 24 | 82 | — | 2132 | 1006 | 584 | 204 | 89 | 81 | 156 | 798 | 413 | .518 | — | — | — | 245 | 180 | .735 |
| Ernie Grunfeld | SF | 23 | 82 | — | 1778 | 843 | 360 | 216 | 58 | 15 | 141 | 661 | 326 | .493 | — | — | — | 251 | 191 | .761 |
| Kevin Restani | PF | 27 | 81 | — | 1598 | 575 | 385 | 122 | 30 | 27 | 96 | 529 | 262 | .495 | — | — | — | 73 | 51 | .699 |
| Quinn Buckner | PG | 24 | 81 | — | 1757 | 581 | 210 | 468 | 156 | 17 | 208 | 553 | 251 | .454 | — | — | — | 125 | 79 | .632 |
| John Gianelli | C | 28 | 82 | — | 2057 | 584 | 408 | 160 | 44 | 57 | 106 | 527 | 256 | .486 | — | — | — | 102 | 72 | .706 |
| George Johnson | PF | 22 | 67 | — | 1157 | 414 | 360 | 81 | 75 | 49 | 100 | 342 | 165 | .482 | — | — | — | 117 | 84 | .718 |
| Lloyd Walton | PG | 25 | 75 | — | 1381 | 375 | 104 | 356 | 72 | 9 | 123 | 327 | 157 | .480 | — | — | — | 90 | 61 | .678 |
| Norm Van Lier | PG | 31 | 38 | — | 555 | 107 | 40 | 158 | 43 | 3 | 49 | 77 | 30 | .390 | — | — | — | 52 | 47 | .904 |
| Sam Smith | SF | 24 | 16 | — | 125 | 56 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 47 | 19 | .404 | — | — | — | 24 | 18 | .750 |
| Otis Howard | PF | 22 | 3 | — | 22 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | .455 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Del Beshore | PG | 22 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| TEAM TOTALS | — | — | 82 | — | 19880 | 9353 | 3527 | 2562 | 862 | 435 | 1554 | 7773 | 3906 | .503 | — | — | — | 2021 | 1541 | .762** |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG+BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marques Johnson | Alpha‑Core | 36.1 | High | 25.6 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 2.7 (1.5+1.2) | 19.45 | Emerged as the clear primary offensive engine — top‑5 scorer league‑wide in 1978‑79. Showed scoring efficiency (55 FG%) and also provided all‑around value with rebounds, passing, and defense. | AS, All‑NBA 1st Team |
| Brian Winters | Secondary Scorer / 2nd‑Option | 32.6 | High‑Mid | 19.8 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 1.6 (1.1+0.5) | 14.20 | Functioned as the secondary scoring and playmaking option — high usage though lower rebounding. Offered steady offense and assist burden, helping balance the attack when Johnson rested. | – |
| Kent Benson | Frontcourt Starter | 26.0 | Mid | 12.3 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 2.1 (1.1+1.0) | 11.20 | As starting center, offered inside presence: good rebounding, interior scoring, and rim protection. Less usage offensively, but provided steady two‑way frontcourt minutes. | – |
| Junior Bridgeman | 3rd‑Option Wing / 6th Man Type | 23.9 | Mid‑Low | 15.5 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.6 (1.1+0.5) | 11.35 | Reliable scoring punch off the wing or from second unit, offered efficient FG% (≈ 50.6 FG%) and enough defense to support starters. Helped bridge bench-to-starters as a secondary offensive contributor. | – |
| Ernie Grunfeld | Role Wing / Rotation | 21.7 | Low‑Mid | 10.3 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 0.9 (0.7+0.2) | 8.60 | Provided rotational depth: capable of contributing modest scoring, rebounding and playmaking in backup minutes; useful as a versatile wing off the bench. | – |
| Quinn Buckner | Primary Ball‑Handler / Defensive PG | 21.7 | Low‑Mid | 7.2 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 2.1 (1.9+0.2) | 8.85 | Served as the backup/secondary point guard — led the bench in assists, played with defensive activity (steals), and helped manage pace when starters rested. | – |
| John Gianelli | Backup Center | 25.1 | Low | 7.1 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 (0.5+0.7) | 7.65 | Offered reliable frontcourt minutes behind Benson: solid rebounding and interior defense, giving rest to starters without large dropoff. | – |
| Kevin Restani | Reserve Big / Depth | 19.7 | Low | 7.1 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.7 (0.4+0.3) | 6.55 | Provided occasional frontcourt depth; modest but useful rebounding and defensive support in limited minutes. | – |
| George Johnson | Bench Forward/Big | 17.3 | Low | 6.2 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 (1.1+0.7) | 7.30 | Gave rotational frontcourt minutes, with respectable rebounding and some defensive activity (steals + blocks) relative to low scoring role. | – |
| Lloyd Walton | Bench PG / Role‑Player | 18.4 | Low | 5.0 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 1.1 (1.0+0.1) | 6.10 | As a reserve guard, contributed assists and modest defense; likely used to give rest to Buckner or shift guard rotations. | – |
| Sam Smith | Deep Reserve Wing | 7.8 | Very Low | 3.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 (0.5+0.4) | 4.50 | Hardly played; minimal impact but provided occasional minutes as a reserve wing during rotation holes. | – |
| Otis Howard | Emergency/Spot Minutes | 7.3 | Very Low | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 (0+0) | 2.95 | Appeared only 3 games — negligible impact; likely used in rare depth or garbage time situations. | – |
| Norm Van Lier | Short‑Stint Backup Guard | 14.6 | Very Low | 2.8 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 1.2 (1.1+0.1) | 4.55 | Played only 38 games with limited minutes — provided some playmaking and perimeter defense in spot appearances. | – |
| Del Beshore | Unused | 1.0 | Minimal | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | Played a single minute — no meaningful impact. | – |