This is the final part of the Under 5K GOATs Series. If you somehow don't know what the Under 5K Club is, please go back and read Part 1.

 

Before we get into the GOAT debate, let me introduce you to the Under 5K Mount Rushmore and make the GOAT case for each one. Forgive me for repeating information; some of it is necessary.

George Washington was America's first president and remains the most prominent of the founding fathers. It is clear that a founding father of the Under 5K Club should go in that spot.

 

Maurice Stokes: NBA pioneer, the first black superstar and one of the oldest members of the Under 5K Club.

 

A rebounding machine despite his size that could also defend and pass with the best of them. Red Auerbach compared him to Magic Johnson, but I personally see him as a Dennis Rodman with a better scoring touch. An undersized, beastly rebounder who is a good defender and playmaker. I've seen some say Stokes had similarities to LeBron because of his north-south style. I actually see that more as Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook, but regardless, we're looking at Dennis Rodman in the 1950s, with a greater willingness to score and a better passing game.

One aspect I didn't cover in Part 2 was Stokes's team, the Royals. Jack Twyman, on top of being an incredible teammate and friend, was also a great baller. He was a great scorer who peaked at 31.2 points per game, good enough for 2nd in the NBA, only trailing Wilt, with above-average efficiency. But in 1960, 2 years after Stokes's devastating injury, the Royals drafted a player who went on to become one of the very best ever to do it.

So the Royals were a couple of years away from boasting Stokes, Twyman and Oscar Robertson on the same team. An undersized 4 that can rebound with the best of them while playing elite defence, a versatile forward who can score and defend, and a 6'6" guard who is well-known for being a hungry competitor with a fadeaway jump shot. Sound familiar?

Yeah, we were a couple of years away from getting a version of the Jordan-Pippen-Rodman Bulls back in the 1960s. It's hard to imagine that group doesn't win at least 1 championship. Just look at 1962-63 when the Big O very nearly beat the Bill Russell Celtics with the help of Jack Twyman, only to lose in 7 and watch Boston beat the Lakers in the Finals. For years, the Big O had only Twyman to rely on consistently; imagine if they had Stokes, who could bang with Russell, grab boards, and contribute on offence.

 

The Kings could have multiple championships to look back on. Valuable 3rd options on championship teams who rebound and defend could've been known as Stokes's. If you wanted to argue Maurice Stokes as the Under 5K GOAT, the best argument is that he was the greatest what-if.

Thomas Jefferson is credited as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, so it makes sense to put a guy that could write the book on how to be successful in the NBA without scoring in that spot.

 

Nate McMillan played nearly 900 regular-season + playoff games in his NBA career and scored 20+ points just 4 times. You know what he has more of? 15+ assist games (10), 10+ rebound games (8), 5+ offensive rebound games (12), 6+ steal games (9) and 3+ block games (5).

If you were to imagine how a player can carve out a 10+ year career while scoring less than 5000 points, I bet you'd imagine someone almost exactly like Nate McMillan. One of the best defensive players ever, someone who makes plays for his teammates, gives 110% on every play and is very cerebral about the game. Nate McMillan checks all those boxes.

His teammates and coaches certainly agreed. George Karl, a man who famously couldn't get along with anyone, loved Nate McMillan. He called his backup guard the key to the 1996 Sonics and blamed his injury for their loss in the 96 Finals. McMillan supports that argument, believing he could've turned the tide. That may sound crazy. Nevertheless, he has a decent argument.

In the 2 games he played for more than 10 minutes, Seattle won both. Fellow 96 Sonics player Detlef Schrempf explained how Nate McMillan was so vital. "Nate was a huge part of the team. He made all the right plays offensively and defensively." In many ways, he resembles Jrue Holiday. Smart, beloved and respected by teammates and fans; elite perimeter defender with point guard skills and a valuable contributor on contending teams. He's also similar to Rajon Rondo: smart and cerebral about basketball, while hesitant to score.

 

Granted, I think Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo are better players than McMillan, but it should put into perspective the kind of value Nate provided despite not being a scorer. He is THE definitive Under 5K Club member. Guys who want to contribute beyond scoring are trying to become players like Nate McMillan. His case as the Under 5K GOAT is that he represents every way a player can contribute without scoring 15 points per game.

Theodore Roosevelt was added to Mount Rushmore to represent America's development. So I have placed the player who developed the most and arguably accomplished the most out of anyone in the Under 5K Club.

 

The youngest player in NBA history became a 2-time NBA champion, an All-Star, and an All-NBA player. It wasn't by accident. Although he gained a reputation for being apathetic, it would be wrong to discount the genuine development Andrew Bynum showed throughout his career.

 

Keep in mind, he was seen as extremely raw coming out of the draft, then given Shaq comparisons, and then trusted to be the 3rd or 4th best player on championship-contending Lakers teams against some of the stoutest front courts of his era, with Kobe Bryant himself breathing down his neck. He couldn't afford to coast on his talent; he had to show progress.

So many players with his knees would've let them beat him. He didn't. So many players have buckled when a famously hard-nosed competitive leader got in their face. He didn't. So many talented players have failed to understand their role and help their team win a championship. He didn't. Bynum overcame his poor knees and his own personal flaws to carve out a more than respectable NBA career.

Eventually, Bynum's career fell apart. For reasons outside Bynum's control, as well as others entirely on him, he ended up a member of the Under 5K Club. Look at someone like Deandre Ayton. Despite his negative reputation for being lazy and lacking a work ethic, he's carved out a respectable NBA career with well over 5000 points. Yet his career pales in comparison to Bynum's.

 

All this is to say that Bynum is not perfect. If he were, he wouldn't be in the Under 5K Club. He's a player who accomplished many things players dream of. If you wanted to make the case for him as the Under 5K GOAT, your best argument would be his championship contributions and individual achievements despite everything against him.

Abraham Lincoln saw America through perhaps the most challenging period in its history while a bunch of dinosaurs told him that he couldn't change the way things are. Dražen Petrović is the best choice for this spot.

 

In an age when shooting 3-pointers was discouraged, Petrović stuck out like a sore thumb. For context: In Petrović's first season, 1989-90, Michael Adams led the NBA in 3-point attempts with 432. Today that would rank 40th, tied with Dennis Vassell. That may not sound crazy, but keep in mind that only 3 players shot more than 300 3-point attempts. Last season, 99 players shot that many.

It is not just volume that made this time different; it is also how players got their 3s. Think about guys like Reggie Miller, Danny Ainge and Dale Ellis, all top 6 in 3-point attempts in 1989-90. They got their shots off-ball. Running around screens and/or hanging around the 3-point line for when a teammate got doubled. There were few guys who'd look you in the eye and shoot a 3 in your face from the dribble.

 

That made Petrović unique. He was a guard who used the dribble-pull-up 3-point shot as his primary weapon. Even though he was REALLY good at shooting, it is well-documented that coaches actively discouraged Petrović from taking so many 3s. This was despite the fact that he was one of the best shooters in the world, all-time.

 

Out of every player in NBA history with at least 100 career 3-point attempts, among active and retired players, Petrović ranks 5th all-time in 3-point percentage. The only players ahead of him are Cam Spencer, Hubert Davis, Luke Kennard and Steve Kerr. None of those guys ever averaged more than 16 points per game; Petrović did it twice with 20+.

 

If we isolate guys who could be considered legit scorers (15+ career points per game), Petrović has the highest 3-point percentage (43.7%) by a wide margin. Only Kon Knueppel and Steph Curry are within 2%, with 42% each. Imagine if Petrović had a coach who appreciated his mastery of the 3-point line. Imagine if he was in the league today!

 

With everything he had accomplished: the silver medal, challenging the Dream Team and the All-NBA team appearance, there is no doubt he would've gone down as one of the best players of all-time had he been able to have his full career.

 

Reggie Miller called him the best shooter ever before Steph Curry. Vernon Maxwell said he'd rather guard Black Jesus (Michael Jordan) than Petrović. You can find many testimonies from New Jersey to Zagreb talking about how great he was. If you wanted to make the case for Petrović as the Under 5K GOAT, you could point to the clout he gained in such a short time, all his accomplishments, and his insane potential to spark a basketball revolution.

To be clear, this is just my subjective opinion. I believe every guy on this Mount Rushmore has a legit Under 5K GOAT case. It comes down to what you value most in this debate. All I can offer is the perspective of someone who's spent his free time reading Basketball Reference and Stathead pages on players who finished their careers with under 5000 points.

 

In my humble opinion, the best candidates are Nate McMillan and Dražen Petrović. It is genuinely a coin flip for me, but since I'm forcing myself to pick one now, I'd choose Petrović.

Here's how I see it: if this were a real club with regular meetings, McMillan would be the president, but Petrović would be hailed as the greatest member. Bynum is the worst candidate of the 4, plain and simple.

 

Maurice Stokes is the biggest what-if of the club, but part of that comes from the team he was on. I firmly believe Petrović had more potential as a player, both in his time and in changing the game. Rebounds, defence and passing were always going to be seen as valuable thanks to Bill Russell. Petrović could've shown the basketball world the value of the 3-pointer decades before Steph played his first NBA game. Finally, for Nate McMillan, it comes down to how I'm defining the Under 5K GOAT. The greatest player who finished his career with less than 5000 points. With that logic, Petrović beats McMillan.

 

Because of all that, I will crown Dražen Petrović as the Under 5K GOAT. I'd love to know who you think the Under 5K GOAT is, whether or not they're on my Mount Rushmore.

Before I end this series, I want to drop some fun facts about the club and potentially answer some anticipated questions.

 

Who are the stat leaders in the Under 5K Club?

 

Most points: Thabo Sefolosha (4994)

Most Rebounds: George Johnson (5887)

Most Offensive Rebounds: Chris Dudley (2234)

Most Assists: Nate McMillan (4893)

Most Steals: Nate McMillan (1544)

Most Blocks: George Johnson (2082)

Most Games Played: Joe Kleine (965)

Most Minutes Played: Bo Outlaw (20,740)

Most All-Star Appearances: Mel Hutchins (4)

Most Championships: Kurt Rambis (4)

 

 

How many Under 5K Club members are in the Basketball Hall of Fame?

There are 19. Two of them are on the Under 5K Mount Rushmore (Petrović and Stokes). Nine are Hall of Fame coaches: Larry Brown, Pat Riley, Rick Adelman, Red Holzman, John Thompson, Alan McGuire, George Karl, Alex Hannum and Slick Leonard. Other notable inductees include Dino Radja, Petrović's Croatia teammate, and Chuck Cooper, the first black man ever drafted to the NBA.

 

How many #1 overall picks are in the Under 5K Club?

There are 17. 11 of them were drafted between 1949 and 1965. The other 6 are busts you likely know, along with a couple you may have never heard of. LaRue Martin (1972), Pervis Ellison (1989), Michael Olowokandi (1998), Kwame Brown (2001), Greg Oden (2007) and Anthony Bennett (2013).

 

If you're curious about any player(s) or stat(s), feel free to leave a comment and I can look into it for you. Just remember, the only requirements for Under 5K Club membership are being a retired/non-active NBA player who finished his career with less than 5000 career points in the NBA (and ABA combined if applicable), with a minimum of 50 games played.

 

Thank you for following along on this journey. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the ride.

 

Next time you look at an NBA player, don't just think about if they will become an NBA Champion, Hall of Famer, All-NBA player or even an All-Star. Think about where they could rank in the Under 5K Club.

 

Never forget the Under 5K Club's motto:

 

Points aren't Everything