The 10 greatest Nuggets in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
By Ben Handler
9. Bobby Jones - 19.7 PER
Jones is a Basketball Hall of Famer who played for Denver from 1974 to 1978, two years for the ABA team and two for the NBA team. He averaged 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds for the team over his four seasons and also notably averaged 2.0 steals and 1.9 blocks for the team.
He finished top five in MVP voting in both of his ABA seasons with Denver and made first-team all-defense while being named to the All-Star team in both of his NBA seasons. His stellar defense earned him the nickname, ‘The Secretary of Defense’.
Jones only played four seasons with the Nuggets but he was a key figure in the Nuggets’ transition from the ABA to the NBA, helping the team experience immediate success in a new league.
His Nuggets tenure was cut short, but Jones went on to have several more successful years in Philadelphia, including helping the 76ers win the NBA championship in 1983 and winning the league’s inaugural Sixth Man of the Year award in that same season.
Jones also won a silver medal for Team USA at the 1972 Olympic Games. His number 24 is retired by the 76ers, and he was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2019.