Last Updated on August 7, 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.
1977-78 Buffalo Braves Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birthdate | College / From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ted McClain | G | 6-2 | 195 | Aug 30 1946 | Tennessee St. |
| 8 | Mike Glenn | G | 6-3 | 175 | Sep 10 1955 | S. Illinois |
| 9 | Randy Smith | G/F | 6-3 | 180 | Dec 12 1948 | Buffalo St. |
| 10 | Bird Averitt | G | 6-1 | 170 | Jul 22 1952 | Pepperdine |
| 12 | Gary Brokaw | G | 6-4 | 178 | Jan 11 1954 | Notre Dame |
| 15 | Chuck Williams | G | 6-2 | 175 | Jun 6 1946 | Colorado |
| 20 | Wil Jones | F | 6-8 | 205 | Feb 27 1947 | Albany St. (GA) |
| 21 | Billy Knight | F | 6-6 | 195 | Jun 9 1952 | Pittsburgh |
| 22 | Bill Willoughby | F | 6-8 | 205 | May 20 1957 | HS (NJ) |
| 24 | Gus Gerard | F | 6-8 | 190 | Jul 27 1953 | Virginia |
| 30 | Swen Nater | C | 6-11 | 240 | Jan 14 1950 | UCLA |
| 31 | Larry McNeill | F | 6-8 | 195 | Jan 30 1951 | Marquette |
| 32 | John Shumate | F/C | 6-9 | 235 | Apr 26 1952 | Notre Dame |
| 33 | Marvin Barnes | F/C | 6-8 | 210 | Jul 27 1952 | Providence |
| 44 | Scott Lloyd | C | 6-10 | 235 | Dec 19 1952 | Arizona St. |
| 50 | Jim McDaniels | C | 6-11 | 228 | Apr 2 1948 | W. Kentucky |
Head Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons
1977-78 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. |