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Player profile · BUF / LAL / MIL / SDC
Swen Nater
Swen Nater stats, teams and career impact
#843 all-timeCareer averages · 12.2 PPG · 10.8 RPG · 2.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 240 lb (109 kg)
- Born
- January 14, 1950 (76 yrs old)
- College
- Cypress College, UCLA
- NBA seasons
- 8 seasons · 1976–77 to 1983–84
Career summarySwen Nater was a center who played 8 NBA seasons, from 1976–77 through 1983–84.
- Career PPG
- 12.2
- Career RPG
- 10.8
- Career APG
- 2.0
- #31 in 1976–77
- #843 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Swen Nater ranks #843 all time
Swen Nater ranks #843 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #58.0. His full-career value ranks #672, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
489 games · Career Value Rank #672
Head to head
Compare Swen Nater with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Willie Cauley-Stein Similar career path
- Dave Robisch Similar career path
- Ralph Sampson Similar career path
- Tom Burleson Similar career path
- Arnie Risen Similar career path
- Billy Paultz Similar career path
- Eddie Jordan Same-era comparison
- Paul Griffin Same-era comparison
- M.L. Carr Same-era comparison
- Tom Owens Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Milwaukee Bucks, Buffalo Braves, San Diego Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 53.7%FG%
- Three-point
- 25.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 76.0%FT%
489 career games · 13,868 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Swen Nater stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1983–84 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 0.4 | -5.03 | LAL | 69 | 0 | 12.0 | 49.0% | 0.0% | 69.2% | #244 | -54.2 |
| 1982–83 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.1 | -10.39 | SDC | 7 | 0 | 7.3 | 30.0% | — | 100.0% | — | -9.2 |
| 1981–82 | 12.5 | 9.1 | 1.4 | -1.32 | SDC | 21 | 7 | 27.4 | 57.7% | 100.0% | 74.7% | #163 | 8.2 |
| 1980–81 | 15.6 | 12.4 | 2.4 | +1.18 | SDC | 82 | 0 | 34.3 | 55.3% | — | 79.5% | #58 | 186.4 |
| 1979–80 | 13.4 | 15.0 | 2.9 | +0.26 | SDC | 81 | 0 | 35.3 | 55.4% | 0.0% | 71.8% | #85 | 136.3 |
| 1978–79 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | -0.39 | SDC | 79 | 0 | 25.4 | 56.9% | — | 80.0% | #108 | 71.5 |
| 1977–78 | 15.5 | 13.2 | 2.8 | +0.11 | BUF | 78 | 0 | 35.6 | 50.4% | — | 76.5% | #87 | 127.2 |
| 1976–77 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 1.5 | +1.83 | MIL | 72 | 0 | 27.2 | 52.8% | — | 75.4% | #31 | 169.5 |
| Career | 12.2 | 10.8 | 2.0 | — | BUF/LAL/MIL/SDC | 489 | — | 28.4 | 53.7% | 25.0% | 76.0% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
81.4 composite · lower is better
73.8 average league finish
636 total value
Career standing
How Swen Nater ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score81.4
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 7
- All-time rank
- #843
Strongest seasons
Every season
Swen Nater advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 34 | 69 | 829 | -5.03 | 2.0 | #244 | -54.2 | 1st | Standard |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 33 | 7 | 51 | -10.39 | — | — | -9.2 | — | Limited |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 32 | 21 | 575 | -1.32 | 36.2 | #163 | 8.2 | 29th | Standard |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 31 | 82 | 2,809 | +1.18 | 77.0 | #58 | 186.4 | 85th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 30 | 81 | 2,860 | +0.26 | 63.6 | #85 | 136.3 | 75th | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | SDC | 29 | 79 | 2,006 | -0.39 | 52.9 | #108 | 71.5 | 56th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | BUF | 28 | 78 | 2,778 | +0.11 | 63.6 | #87 | 127.2 | 74th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | MIL | 27 | 72 | 1,960 | +1.83 | 87.7 | #31 | 169.5 | 83rd | Broad |
Career movement
Swen Nater's career impact by season
Peak +1.83 in 1976–77 · 8 seasons · 13,868 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Swen NaterWillie Cauley-Stein
| NBA season | Swen Nater | Willie Cauley-Stein |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.8 | -0.8 |
| 2 | 0.1 | -0.9 |
| 3 | -0.4 | 0.9 |
| 4 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
| 5 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| 6 | -1.3 | -1.7 |
| 7 | -10.4 | -6.6 |
| 8 | -5.0 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Swen Nater
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #1330
Willie Cauley-Stein
92career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1976–77 ↔ 2018–19C · All-Time Career #1096Dave Robisch
91career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1976–77 ↔ 1976–77PF · All-Time Career #950Ralph Sampson
91career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1976–77 ↔ 1986–87Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →