Ah yeah, good old Swen! Best Dutch big man in pro-basketball history and one of the best rebounding big men of all time. One thing you could always count on with Nater: he was ALWAYS gonna give you his best effort on the floor no matter what. He was strong as an ox and really knew how to use his size to position himself down low for rebounds. Offensively, he wasn't flashy but was extremely reliable with that sweeping hook shot and his footwork was fundamentally sound in the post (no doubt due to all those "iron-sharpening" practices with former UCLA/Clipper teammate and Hall of Famer Bill Walton, ha). He was a legit All-Star talent who just barely missed out on a championship with the underachieving 1983-84 Lakers at the tail end of his career. In today's NBA, Andre Drummond's the one who comes closest to Nater except that Nater had a much better scoring touch around the rim by comparison.
@@professionalcurrysexual9289 Nah, he might've been the more versatile offensive player but Nater was superior in every other category by comparison (especially the rebounding stats). He actually beat out a PRIME Moses Malone for the rebounding title that 1979-80 season, mind you! O_O
Nater was drafted, in part, because scouts asked Bill Walton, Who was the best center you played against? His answer: “Swen Nater every day in practice!”
You can learn a lot about positioning for rebounding by watching video of Swen Nater. I was really annoyed when the Buck essentially exchanged him for Kent Benson. Other teams also seem to have under valued this prolific rebounder who could also score down low as the video shows.
WOW , YOU ARE SO RIGHT !!!!! --- I WAS SCREAMING THAT FOR YEARS BACK IN THE LATE 1970's !!!!!! Don Nelson was a complete idiot !!!!!! One of the worst general managers in NBA history !!!!!! Let's not forget Nelson's biggest mistake of his entire life, the Alex English blunder !!!!!!! Milwaukee was loaded with talent 1977-1982 !!!!!! Bucks should have won at least one championship during those years !!!!!! Very Sad !!!!!!!!
@@triplennnoflaf Hi Nick. I don't think Don Nelson was a "complete idiot". Hindsight is 20/20 after all. I suspect he knows more about the NBA than both of us know many times over. I recall Nelson had the respect of many, and I'm sure it was more than just his Celtic pedigree. For instance, the wrap on Alex English and the Doe Moe's Nuggets was they didn't play much defense. I don't know how true that was. Also, Kent Benson was pretty much a conscious #1 draft pick. Like the Bucks couldn't make it past Dr. J and 76ers and then Larry Bird and the Celtics, the Nuggets never made it to the finals because the Lakers stood in their way. Nelson & the Bucks did have Marques Johnson & Alex English during 1977-78. They both played small forward. Johnson got 34.6 minutes per game. English got 18.9 minutes per game. They end up having very similar career stats. English had a small edge in scoring. Johnson had a small edge in rebounding. I guess the question becomes why was English signed to only a two year rookie contract? In his rookie season, English played 10.8 minutes per game behind the departing Bobby Dandridge and young Junior Bridgeman. There were 17 Bucks that year, and they all played. At the end of the bench was Mickey Davis the hero of the 1974-75 playoffs getting 8.7 minutes per game in 19 games before being waived. After sleeping out of the gate, 3-15 Larry Costello abruptly resigned and assist coach Nelson stepped in, but that was too late. The Bucks finished last in Western Conference 30-52. Even I could tell that Alex English could start. Part of me wishes I had been a season ticket holder at the Milwaukee Arena during those golden years of the "Green & Growing Bucks" instead of a busy college student at UW-Madison. But I wouldn't trade. I wish I had a clone or something so I could have done both, lol. Then I might have the basis for a stronger opinion. I've would have loved to see Bucks have kept the Nader & Elmore Smith tandem longer. When they went with their big line-up with Nader shifting to power forward (I think that's how it worked) they were quite formattable in the paint on both ends. I do give Nelson credit for hanging on to really good players like Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Quinn Buckner for pretty much their whole careers. Even a 6 foot nothing reserve point guard like Lloyd Walton got to play for 4 years in Milwaukee and make real contributions. But I think undervaluing Swen Nader was a terrible mistake. There was no Larry Bird or Magic Johnson in the 1977 draft. I would have loved to see a starting five of Nader, English, David Meyers, Buckner, and Winters with Bridgeman and Elmore Smith off the bench. If they had liked Alex English, they could have drafted Cornbread Maxwell who almost single-handedly ended Al McGuire's swan-song in 1977. It turned out Cornbread ended up being the best player in the draft (sorry Marques - you were second best). Then Meyers premature retirement would not have cost a season.
A Hidden Gem!!!!
Best mustache in NBA history!
Remember him from his days in the old ABA with the Nets and Spurs.
The music fits perfectly, glad 2k put his jersey in and made me look him up
Lol I did the same I won the Jersey and was who is this guy lol
Ah yeah, good old Swen! Best Dutch big man in pro-basketball history and one of the best rebounding big men of all time. One thing you could always count on with Nater: he was ALWAYS gonna give you his best effort on the floor no matter what. He was strong as an ox and really knew how to use his size to position himself down low for rebounds. Offensively, he wasn't flashy but was extremely reliable with that sweeping hook shot and his footwork was fundamentally sound in the post (no doubt due to all those "iron-sharpening" practices with former UCLA/Clipper teammate and Hall of Famer Bill Walton, ha). He was a legit All-Star talent who just barely missed out on a championship with the underachieving 1983-84 Lakers at the tail end of his career. In today's NBA, Andre Drummond's the one who comes closest to Nater except that Nater had a much better scoring touch around the rim by comparison.
Well said, I agree with you 100 percent!
Isn’t Rick Smits Dutch? I think he is the best Dutchman is nba history
@@professionalcurrysexual9289 Nah, he might've been the more versatile offensive player but Nater was superior in every other category by comparison (especially the rebounding stats). He actually beat out a PRIME Moses Malone for the rebounding title that 1979-80 season, mind you!
O_O
Rik Smits was better
Nater was drafted, in part, because scouts asked Bill Walton, Who was the best center you played against? His answer: “Swen Nater every day in practice!”
Buffalo in the NBA...something not imaginable these days...
Just got his jersey on 2k21 never knew who he was wow
Same 😂
@@scg52 if u xbox lets run it later cause i am on APEX now lolo
swen nater had a very good hook shot!!
He good
You can learn a lot about positioning for rebounding by watching video of Swen Nater. I was really annoyed when the Buck essentially exchanged him for Kent Benson. Other teams also seem to have under valued this prolific rebounder who could also score down low as the video shows.
WOW , YOU ARE SO RIGHT !!!!! --- I WAS SCREAMING THAT FOR YEARS BACK IN THE LATE 1970's !!!!!! Don Nelson was a complete idiot !!!!!! One of the worst general managers in NBA history !!!!!! Let's not forget Nelson's biggest mistake of his entire life, the Alex English blunder !!!!!!! Milwaukee was loaded with talent 1977-1982 !!!!!! Bucks should have won at least one championship during those years !!!!!! Very Sad !!!!!!!!
@@triplennnoflaf Hi Nick. I don't think Don Nelson was a "complete idiot". Hindsight is 20/20 after all. I suspect he knows more about the NBA than both of us know many times over. I recall Nelson had the respect of many, and I'm sure it was more than just his Celtic pedigree.
For instance, the wrap on Alex English and the Doe Moe's Nuggets was they didn't play much defense. I don't know how true that was. Also, Kent Benson was pretty much a conscious #1 draft pick. Like the Bucks couldn't make it past Dr. J and 76ers and then Larry Bird and the Celtics, the Nuggets never made it to the finals because the Lakers stood in their way.
Nelson & the Bucks did have Marques Johnson & Alex English during 1977-78. They both played small forward. Johnson got 34.6 minutes per game. English got 18.9 minutes per game. They end up having very similar career stats. English had a small edge in scoring. Johnson had a small edge in rebounding. I guess the question becomes why was English signed to only a two year rookie contract?
In his rookie season, English played 10.8 minutes per game behind the departing Bobby Dandridge and young Junior Bridgeman. There were 17 Bucks that year, and they all played. At the end of the bench was Mickey Davis the hero of the 1974-75 playoffs getting 8.7 minutes per game in 19 games before being waived. After sleeping out of the gate, 3-15 Larry Costello abruptly resigned and assist coach Nelson stepped in, but that was too late. The Bucks finished last in Western Conference 30-52. Even I could tell that Alex English could start.
Part of me wishes I had been a season ticket holder at the Milwaukee Arena during those golden years of the "Green & Growing Bucks" instead of a busy college student at UW-Madison. But I wouldn't trade. I wish I had a clone or something so I could have done both, lol. Then I might have the basis for a stronger opinion.
I've would have loved to see Bucks have kept the Nader & Elmore Smith tandem longer. When they went with their big line-up with Nader shifting to power forward (I think that's how it worked) they were quite formattable in the paint on both ends.
I do give Nelson credit for hanging on to really good players like Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Quinn Buckner for pretty much their whole careers. Even a 6 foot nothing reserve point guard like Lloyd Walton got to play for 4 years in Milwaukee and make real contributions.
But I think undervaluing Swen Nader was a terrible mistake. There was no Larry Bird or Magic Johnson in the 1977 draft. I would have loved to see a starting five of Nader, English, David Meyers, Buckner, and Winters with Bridgeman and Elmore Smith off the bench.
If they had liked Alex English, they could have drafted Cornbread Maxwell who almost single-handedly ended Al McGuire's swan-song in 1977. It turned out Cornbread ended up being the best player in the draft (sorry Marques - you were second best). Then Meyers premature retirement would not have cost a season.
Grab 25 rebounds with Swen Nater ✅
I just got my swen nater jersey on 2k!!!!
He plays 10x better with the jersey
Holy hookshot
he's not even in nba 2k20. wdf?