Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1980s All-Decade Team
Milwaukee Bucks: Meet the 1980’s All-Decades Team – Ricky Pierce
Junior Bridgeman’s hold on the Bucks’ Sixth Man role obviously carried over into the 1980s, but his departure to the Los Angeles Clippers before the 1984-85 season ushered in a new arrival for a more superior sixth man that made a lasting impact on the Bucks for the rest of the decade.
Ricky Pierce wasted very little time stepping up as the Bucks’ Sixth Man under Nelson as they reshaped the foundation between Pierce, Terry Cummings and Craig Hodges surrounding the constant that was Moncrief.
The man known as ‘Big Paper Daddy’ was incredibly productive and remarkably efficient while maintaining his super-sub role coming off the bench throughout his first stint with the Bucks from 1984 to 1991. And that can be seen by advanced metrics as Pierce averaged 22.6 points per game by per-36 minute standards during that span while averaging a sterling 58.9 true shooting percentage in an NBA that had yet to fully embrace the 3-pointer.
Pierce’s scoring expertise certainly caught the attention of the rest of the league as he went on to win not one, but two Sixth Man of the Year awards in 1987 and 1990. Not only did Pierce lead the 1989-90 Bucks in scoring at 23 points per game without making a start that year, but the former Rice Owl also pulled off the rare feat of being named an All-Star the following year under those same parameters.
Pierce’s first stint with the Bucks came to an end not long after his lone All-Star appearance where he was dealt to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Dale Ellis. While he went on to add more stops to his well-traveled 16-year NBA career, Pierce made a return to Milwaukee for his final season as a player in 1997-98. Of course, doing so while coming off the bench.
In his 460 appearances with the Bucks, Pierce averaged 16.5 points on a .516/.305/.865 slash line, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists across 26.2 minutes per game.
Next. Chance to rest will benefit Bucks more than most rivals. dark
With now both the 1970s and the 1980s wrapped up, we’ll continue our Bucks All-Decades teams by entering the 1990s later in the week.