OKC Thunder: Debating whether Nick Collison deserves to have his jersey retired

The uninspiring stats

Personally, the biggest knock on Collison’s career is that his best years came in Seattle. The Thunder have made it clear they want to separate themselves from their former city, most notably, not acknowledging Seattle’s 1979 title.

Collison only averaged 5.9 points per game in his career. Drop those four Seattle years and his average is down to 4.2 points a game. I know his game wasn’t predicated around scoring, but 4.2 points isn’t exactly eye-popping to say the least.

The majority of people who don’t think Collison deserves this honor point to the amount of DNP’s he piled up his final few years. It’s a fair point, Collison played just 94 games his final three seasons in the league. You have to wonder had it not been for the injury-plagued 2015 season, how many fewer games would he have played than the 66 he ended up seeing the court in

An ill-fitted counterpart

Speaking of guys who have rode the bench in their twilight years, a player and franchise-lifer Collison often gets compared to is Miami’s Udonis Haslem. Drafted in the same year as Collison, Haslem recently announced he would be retiring after this season, marking the end of his 16-year run in South Beach. You can bet your life savings Haslem will get his jersey retired in Miami, probably at some point next season.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsUD/status/1082366843963277322

The comparisons are easy to see. Both are well-respected locker room guys who also had a nice run during their primes. However, it certainly can be argued there are a few differences between Haslem and Collison.

First off, Haslem was a starter for a good chunk of his career. Collison started just 55 games in his ten years in OKC. Haslem’s averages are all slightly better.  In 2008, Haslem averaged 12 points a game. Collison’s career-high for a season was 9.8. Haslem also had three other seasons averaging at least ten points.

Of course, the biggest difference is that Haslem was a key contributor on all three of Miami’s titles. Collison unfortunately was ringless. You hate to say it, but even for role players, titles can make a difference.