NBA By The Uniform Numbers: The best players in the 50s

Continuing our NBA By The Numbers series, we explore the best players that wear numbers in the 50s

Now that the Summer League games are done, and the player movement has slowed down, for now, it’s a good time for the second installment of this series called By the Numbers.

This week, we’ll be considering the best players in the NBA who wore a uniform number in the 50s. According to Basketball-reference.com, there were 17 players who suited up this season who wore a number between 50 and 55.

While many of these players may be found at the end of many NBA benches or on G league rosters, hopefully in this they can be shown a little love.

No. 55 – Nominees: Isaiah Hartenstein, Greg Monroe, E’Twaun Moore, Joakim Noah, and Delon Wright

There were actually nine players who wore double nickels for various teams this season. These are five players who statistically deserve to be nominated. Of these five here are my top three

3. Greg Monroe: It may be a safe assumption that this past season Monroe may have more forwarded mail than any player from 2018-19. From August 2018 to the end of the season, Monroe was a member of four different teams – ironically, teams all in the Atlantic Division.

He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February and was eventually waived. Then, he signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics in March before signing another 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

His highlight for the season would be the three regular-season games he appeared in. He averaged 13.7 ppg, to go along with shooting over 90 percent from the free-throw line, 65 percent from the field and a perfect one for one from 3-point land,

2. E’Twaun Moore: Moore missed the final month of the season due to a quad injury. When he was healthy, the eight-year veteran appeared in 53 games and contributed just under 12 points a game, while shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Moore proved to be a solid rotational player for the New Orleans Pelicans.

1. Delon Wright: On February 7, Wright, C. J. Miles, Jonas Valanciunas and a 2024 second-round draft pick were traded from the Raptors to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol. He played in a total of 75 games for the two teams. When given the opportunity to start, he showed flashes of what he could be capable of. Between April 5 and 10, he recorded three triple-doubles leading the Grizzlies to three victories during that span.

No. 54 – Patrick Patterson

Patterson is our default winner for uniform No. 54, but it was a disappointing season for the 30-year-old power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 63 games, he chipped in 3.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG. He did exercise his player option for 2019-20, so hopefully, he can return to the form that he showed in his previous stops in Houston, Sacramento, and Toronto.

No. 52 – Jordan McRae

After missing the 2017-18 NBA season to play in Spain with Baskonia in the EuroLeague, McRae returned to the association to sign with the Washington Wizards. He spent most of 2018-19 with their G League affiliate but still managed to get in 27 games for Washington. While his numbers weren’t flashy, he gets an honorable mention for the best nickname for this week’s group – The Orange Mamba, a name he earned while playing college basketball at Tennessee

No. 51 – Ryan Arcidiacono and Boban Marjanovic

This one was a little tougher for me to decide on. While Marjanovic is the tallest active player in the NBA and went to the postseason with the 76ers, he was not the best player to wear 51.

That honor goes to Arcidiacono, along with the best nickname of the week “The Arch of Dimes.” The Chicago Bulls combo guard started 32 of the 81 games he played in. He averaged about 24 minutes a game and shot a respectable 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from downtown while distributing 3.3 assists per game. He led the team in charges taken and was in the top three in the NBA in assist/turnover ratio.

No. 50 – Salah Mejri

There were four players who wore No. 50 this season. Two of them, Bonzie Colson and PJ Dozier played a combined total of 14 games. Caleb Swanigan appeared in 27 games between Portland and Sacramento averaging two points and three rebounds per game.

So the pickings were slim, so I chose Mejri. The 7-foot 2-inch center completed his fourth season in the Dallas Mavericks organization where in 36 games this season he contributed 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. Mejri is a member of the senior men’s Tunisian national basketball team and will represent his country at next month’s FIBA World Cup in China.

Next. NBA: 6 under-the-radar impact players that may be moved midseason. dark

Next time around, we’ll size up the best players who wear numbers in the 40s. I anticipate a little more competition in this next set of numbers.

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