Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Denver Nuggets > Roster & Statistics
The 1981–82 Denver Nuggets relied on a balanced, high-powered offense led by Alex English, Dan Issel, and Kiki Vandeweghe, giving the team multiple dependable scoring threats across the frontcourt. English also emerged as a key facilitator, while T.R. Dunn contributed strong rebounding and defensive play. Denver’s statistics reflect an up-tempo, efficient offensive team with broad scoring depth, though their defensive production suggested they regularly played in high-scoring contests.
Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birth Date | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Nicks | G | 6-1 | 175 | Oct 6, 1958 | Indiana State |
| 5 | Alex English | F | 6-7 | 190 | Jan 5, 1954 | South Carolina |
| 10 | James Ray | F | 6-9 | 215 | Dec 3, 1957 | Jacksonville |
| 11 | Mike Evans | G | 6-1 | 175 | Apr 19, 1955 | Kansas State |
| 14 | Bill Hanzlik | G/F | 6-7 | 185 | Dec 6, 1957 | Notre Dame |
| 21 | Glen Gondrezick | F | 6-6 | 205 | Aug 30, 1953 | UNLV |
| 22 | Rob Williams | G | 6-2 | 185 | May 5, 1961 | Houston |
| 32 | T.R. Dunn | G/F | 6-4 | 192 | Feb 1, 1955 | Alabama |
| 40 | Rich Kelley | C | 7-0 | 235 | Mar 23, 1953 | Stanford |
| 44 | Dan Issel | C/F | 6-9 | 235 | Oct 25, 1948 | Kentucky |
| 52 | Danny Schayes | C | 6-11 | 235 | May 10, 1959 | Syracuse |
Regular Season Per Game
| Player Name | Pos | Age | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOV | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex English | SF | 28 | 82 | 82 | 36.8 | 25.4 | 6.8 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 18.9 | .551 | 0.1 | .000 | 5.4 | .840 |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | PF | 23 | 82 | 78 | 33.8 | 21.5 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 15.4 | .560 | 0.2 | .077 | 4.9 | .857 |
| T.R. Dunn | SG | 26 | 82 | 80 | 30.7 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 6.1 | .512 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.6 | .712 |
| Dan Issel | C | 33 | 81 | 81 | 30.5 | 22.9 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 15.3 | .527 | 0.1 | .667 | 8.1 | .834 |
| Billy McKinney | PG | 26 | 81 | 27 | 24.2 | 10.8 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 8.6 | .528 | 0.2 | .000 | 2.1 | .806 |
| Kenny Higgs | PG | 27 | 76 | 49 | 22.3 | 7.5 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 6.2 | .432 | 0.3 | .190 | 2.6 | .817 |
| Dave Robisch | C | 32 | 12 | 0 | 21.4 | 12.0 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 8.8 | .453 | 0.0 | 4.6 | .873 | |
| Glen Gondrezick | SF | 26 | 80 | 0 | 21.2 | 8.3 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 6.2 | .505 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.7 | .737 |
| David Thompson | SG | 27 | 61 | 5 | 20.4 | 14.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 10.6 | .486 | 0.2 | .286 | 5.6 | .814 |
| Cedrick Hordges | PF | 25 | 77 | 1 | 17.8 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 5.4 | .493 | 0.2 | .231 | 2.6 | .583 |
| John Roche | SG | 32 | 39 | 2 | 12.8 | 4.8 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.8 | .453 | 1.3 | .442 | 1.0 | .737 |
| David Burns | PG | 23 | 6 | 1 | 8.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | .455 | 0.0 | 1.5 | .667 | |
| James Ray | PF | 24 | 40 | 4 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.9 | .440 | 0.0 | 1.000 | 0.9 | .583 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 82 | 241.8 | 126.5 | 43.8 | 27.7 | 8.1 | 4.5 | 17.9 | 93.4 | .520 | 1.8 | .268 | 36.3 | .796 |
Playoff Per Game
| Player Name | Pos | Age | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOV | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex English | SF | 28 | 3 | 3 | 39.3 | 19.3 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 18.3 | .473 | 0.0 | 2.3 | .857 | |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | PF | 23 | 3 | 3 | 36.3 | 22.7 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 14.3 | .581 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 1.000 | |
| Dan Issel | C | 33 | 3 | 3 | 34.3 | 25.3 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 20.0 | .533 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | |
| Billy McKinney | PG | 26 | 3 | 3 | 30.3 | 14.0 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 9.0 | .593 | 0.3 | .000 | 4.0 | .833 |
| T.R. Dunn | SG | 26 | 3 | 3 | 27.0 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 4.3 | .462 | 0.0 | 2.7 | .875 | |
| David Thompson | SG | 27 | 3 | 3 | 22.0 | 11.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 11.0 | .455 | 1.0 | .333 | 2.3 | .571 |
| Kenny Higgs | PG | 27 | 3 | 3 | 18.0 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 7.0 | .381 | 0.7 | .000 | 4.0 | .583 |
| Glen Gondrezick | SF | 26 | 3 | 3 | 17.0 | 6.0 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.7 | .400 | 0.3 | .000 | 1.0 | .667 |
| Cedrick Hordges | PF | 25 | 3 | 3 | 15.0 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 6.3 | .421 | 0.3 | .000 | 1.3 | .750 |
| James Ray | PF | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Team Totals | 3 | 3 | 240.0 | 119.3 | 40.0 | 24.7 | 8.7 | 3.7 | 14.7 | 97.0 | .495 | 2.7 | .125 | 27.7 | .831 |
Regular Season Totals
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FGA | FG | 3PA | 3P | FTA | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex English | SF | 28 | 82 | 82 | 3015 | 2082 | 558 | 433 | 87 | 120 | 261 | 1553 | 855 | 8 | 0 | 443 | 372 |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | PF | 23 | 82 | 78 | 2775 | 1760 | 461 | 247 | 52 | 29 | 189 | 1260 | 706 | 13 | 1 | 405 | 347 |
| T.R. Dunn | SG | 26 | 82 | 80 | 2519 | 669 | 559 | 188 | 135 | 36 | 123 | 504 | 258 | 1 | 0 | 215 | 153 |
| Dan Issel | C | 33 | 81 | 81 | 2472 | 1852 | 608 | 179 | 67 | 55 | 169 | 1236 | 651 | 6 | 4 | 655 | 546 |
| Billy McKinney | PG | 26 | 81 | 27 | 1963 | 875 | 142 | 338 | 69 | 16 | 115 | 699 | 369 | 17 | 0 | 170 | 137 |
| Glen Gondrezick | SF | 26 | 80 | 0 | 1699 | 660 | 423 | 152 | 92 | 36 | 100 | 495 | 250 | 3 | 0 | 217 | 160 |
| Kenny Higgs | PG | 27 | 76 | 49 | 1696 | 569 | 144 | 395 | 72 | 6 | 156 | 468 | 202 | 21 | 4 | 197 | 161 |
| Cedrick Hordges | PF | 25 | 77 | 1 | 1372 | 527 | 395 | 65 | 26 | 19 | 111 | 414 | 204 | 13 | 3 | 199 | 116 |
| David Thompson | SG | 27 | 61 | 5 | 1246 | 906 | 148 | 117 | 34 | 29 | 142 | 644 | 313 | 14 | 4 | 339 | 276 |
| John Roche | SG | 32 | 39 | 2 | 501 | 187 | 23 | 89 | 15 | 2 | 29 | 150 | 68 | 52 | 23 | 38 | 28 |
| James Ray | PF | 24 | 40 | 4 | 262 | 124 | 65 | 26 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 116 | 51 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 21 |
| Dave Robisch | C | 32 | 12 | 0 | 257 | 144 | 63 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 106 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 48 |
| David Burns | PG | 23 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
| Team Totals | 82 | 82 | 19830 | 10371 | 3592 | 2272 | 664 | 368 | 1453 | 7656 | 3980 | 149 | 40 | 2978 | 2371 |
Playoff Totals
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | FGA | FG | 3PA | 3P | FTA | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex English | SF | 28 | 3 | 118 | 58 | 23 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 55 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | PF | 23 | 3 | 109 | 68 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 43 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 18 | |
| Dan Issel | C | 33 | 3 | 103 | 76 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 60 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | |
| Billy McKinney | PG | 26 | 3 | 91 | 42 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 10 | |
| T.R. Dunn | SG | 26 | 3 | 81 | 19 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | |
| David Thompson | SG | 27 | 3 | 66 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 33 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | |
| Kenny Higgs | PG | 27 | 3 | 54 | 23 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 7 | |
| Glen Gondrezick | SF | 26 | 3 | 51 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Cedrick Hordges | PF | 25 | 3 | 45 | 19 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |
| James Ray | PF | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 3 | 720 | 358 | 120 | 74 | 26 | 11 | 44 | 291 | 144 | 8 | 1 | 83 | 69 |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (STL + BLK) | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex English | Primary Scoring & Facilitator | 36.8 | High | 25.4 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 19.80 | Team scoring leader who combined high-efficiency mid-range scoring with playmaking in Doug Moe’s fast-paced system; led NBA in points that season. | MVP-13, AS, NBA2 |
| Kiki Vandeweghe | Secondary Primary Scorer | 33.8 | High | 21.5 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 15.55 | Volume scorer and floor-spacer who complemented English with off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot scoring on a high-octane Nuggets offense. | |
| T.R. Dunn | Defensive Specialist / Glue Guard | 30.7 | Low | 8.2 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 9.65 | Defensive anchor on the perimeter, strong rebounder for his position and a consistent source of steals — key to Denver’s transition defense. | DEF2 |
| Dan Issel | Veteran Inside Scorer / Post Option | 30.5 | Medium | 22.9 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 17.05 | Experienced post scorer who provided inside scoring, rebounding and veteran stability in half-court sets and playoff minutes. | MVP-17 |
| Billy McKinney | Starting Point Guard / Two-Way Lead Guard | 24.2 | Medium | 10.8 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 8.95 | Handled primary lead duties at times — a scoring-capable PG who also created for teammates and sustained team pace. | |
| Kenny Higgs | Backup Point / Change-of-Pace Playmaker | 22.3 | Medium-Low | 7.5 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 7.80 | Secondary ball-handler bringing playmaking off the bench and tempo control in relief of starters. | |
| Dave Robisch | Instant-Offense Backup Big | 21.4 | Low | 12.0 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 10.30 | Provided scoring punch and minutes at center/forward in a reserve role — efficient in limited action. | |
| Glen Gondrezick | Rotation Wing / Depth Scorer | 21.2 | Low | 8.3 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 8.60 | Versatile reserve forward who contributed scoring, rebounding and streaky perimeter shooting off the bench. | |
| David Thompson | Sixth-Man Scoring Bolt | 20.4 | Medium-Low | 14.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 10.15 | High-upside scorer used in bursts; when healthy delivered quick scoring and athletic drives, giving the team instant offense. | |
| Cedrick Hordges | Backup PF / Energy Big | 17.8 | Low | 6.8 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 6.60 | Frontcourt depth who provided interior rebounding and physical minutes in spot rotations. | |
| John Roche | Veteran Spot-Up Guard | 12.8 | Very Low | 4.8 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 4.10 | Experienced reserve used for perimeter shooting, spacing and veteran ball-handling in short stints. | |
| David Burns | Deep Reserve / Emergency PG | 8.8 | Very Low | 2.7 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 2.65 | Very limited minutes; provided brief relief at the point when required. | |
| James Ray | Frontcourt Depth / Minute-Earner | 6.6 | Very Low | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.05 | Fringe rotation player used for frontcourt depth and energy in short bursts. |
*Impact Index = (PPG + RPG + APG + STK) ÷ 2