Willie Naulls
SF · Boston Celtics
Seasons 1956-57–1965-66 · 10 on record · Ht 6-6 · b. 1934
4× All-Star
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Player info
| Nickname | The Whale, Sweetcakes |
|---|---|
| Position | SF |
| Number | #6 (also #33, #71, #12) |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Height | 6-6 |
| Weight | 225 lb |
| Born | 1934-10-07 |
| College | UCLA |
| Drafted | 1956 · Round 2, Pick 10 · STL |
| Seasons | 1956-57–1965-66 (10) |
Career averages
15.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 APG · 716 games · .406 FG% · — 3P%.
Stats by season — per game
| Season | Tm | Age | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | PER | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-57 | 2TM | 22 | 71 | 25.0 | .357 | — | .677 | 8.7 | 1.2 | — | — | 10.1 | 13.9 | .396 |
| STL | 22 | 19 | 23.1 | .365 | — | .683 | 8.8 | 1.2 | — | — | 10.3 | 15.5 | .411 | |
| NYK | 22 | 52 | 25.8 | .355 | — | .674 | 8.7 | 1.2 | — | — | 10.1 | 13.3 | .391 | |
| 1957-58 | NYK | 23 | 68 | 34.8 | .397 | — | .826 | 11.8 | 1.4 | — | — | 18.1 | 17.1 | .458 |
| 1958-59 | NYK | 24 | 68 | 30.3 | .378 | — | .830 | 10.6 | 1.5 | — | — | 15.7 | 16.5 | .442 |
| 1959-60 | NYK | 25 | 65 | 34.6 | .428 | — | .836 | 14.2 | 2.1 | — | — | 21.4 | 20.1 | .483 |
| 1960-61 | NYK | 26 | 79 | 37.7 | .428 | — | .816 | 13.4 | 2.4 | — | — | 23.4 | 19.1 | .480 |
| 1961-62 | NYK | 27 | 75 | 39.7 | .415 | — | .842 | 11.6 | 2.6 | — | — | 25.0 | 17.9 | .470 |
| 1962-63 | 2TM | 28 | 70 | 27.2 | .417 | — | .802 | 7.4 | 1.5 | — | — | 12.9 | 13.4 | .463 |
| NYK | 28 | 23 | 29.4 | .413 | — | .813 | 8.7 | 1.9 | — | — | 16.9 | 17.3 | .465 | |
| SFW | 28 | 47 | 26.1 | .420 | — | .793 | 6.7 | 1.2 | — | — | 11.0 | 11.2 | .462 | |
| 1963-64 | BOS | 29 | 78 | 18.1 | .417 | — | .796 | 4.6 | 0.8 | — | — | 9.8 | 14.4 | .458 |
| 1964-65 | BOS | 30 | 71 | 20.6 | .384 | — | .813 | 4.7 | 1.0 | — | — | 10.5 | 12.4 | .433 |
| 1965-66 | BOS | 31 | 71 | 20.2 | .402 | — | .794 | 4.5 | 1.0 | — | — | 10.7 | 12.5 | .435 |
Stats by season — totals
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-57 | 2TM | 71 | — | 1,778 | 293 | 820 | .357 | — | — | 132 | 195 | 617 | 84 | — | — | — | 718 |
| STL | 19 | — | 438 | 77 | 211 | .365 | — | — | 41 | 60 | 167 | 22 | — | — | — | 195 | |
| NYK | 52 | — | 1,340 | 216 | 609 | .355 | — | — | 91 | 135 | 450 | 62 | — | — | — | 523 | |
| 1957-58 | NYK | 68 | — | 2,369 | 472 | 1,189 | .397 | — | — | 284 | 344 | 799 | 97 | — | — | — | 1,228 |
| 1958-59 | NYK | 68 | — | 2,061 | 405 | 1,072 | .378 | — | — | 258 | 311 | 723 | 102 | — | — | — | 1,068 |
| 1959-60 | NYK | 65 | — | 2,250 | 551 | 1,286 | .428 | — | — | 286 | 342 | 921 | 138 | — | — | — | 1,388 |
| 1960-61 | NYK | 79 | — | 2,976 | 737 | 1,723 | .428 | — | — | 372 | 456 | 1055 | 191 | — | — | — | 1,846 |
| 1961-62 | NYK | 75 | — | 2,978 | 747 | 1,798 | .415 | — | — | 383 | 455 | 867 | 192 | — | — | — | 1,877 |
| 1962-63 | 2TM | 70 | — | 1,901 | 370 | 887 | .417 | — | — | 166 | 207 | 515 | 102 | — | — | — | 906 |
| NYK | 23 | — | 676 | 155 | 375 | .413 | — | — | 78 | 96 | 200 | 44 | — | — | — | 388 | |
| SFW | 47 | — | 1,225 | 215 | 512 | .420 | — | — | 88 | 111 | 315 | 58 | — | — | — | 518 | |
| 1963-64 | BOS | 78 | — | 1,409 | 321 | 769 | .417 | — | — | 125 | 157 | 356 | 64 | — | — | — | 767 |
| 1964-65 | BOS | 71 | — | 1,465 | 302 | 786 | .384 | — | — | 143 | 176 | 336 | 72 | — | — | — | 747 |
| 1965-66 | BOS | 71 | — | 1,433 | 328 | 815 | .402 | — | — | 104 | 131 | 319 | 72 | — | — | — | 760 |
| Career | 716 | — | — | 4,526 | 11,145 | .406 | 0 | 0 | 2253 | 2774 | 6508 | 1114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11,305 |
Per 36 minutes
| Season | Tm | G | MPG | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-57 | 2TM | 71 | 25.0 | 5.9 | 16.6 | .357 | — | — | 2.7 | 3.9 | 12.5 | 1.7 | — | — | — | 14.5 |
| STL | 19 | 23.1 | 6.3 | 17.3 | .365 | — | — | 3.4 | 4.9 | 13.7 | 1.8 | — | — | — | 16.0 | |
| NYK | 52 | 25.8 | 5.8 | 16.4 | .355 | — | — | 2.4 | 3.6 | 12.1 | 1.7 | — | — | — | 14.1 | |
| 1957-58 | NYK | 68 | 34.8 | 7.2 | 18.1 | .397 | — | — | 4.3 | 5.2 | 12.1 | 1.5 | — | — | — | 18.7 |
| 1958-59 | NYK | 68 | 30.3 | 7.1 | 18.7 | .378 | — | — | 4.5 | 5.4 | 12.6 | 1.8 | — | — | — | 18.7 |
| 1959-60 | NYK | 65 | 34.6 | 8.8 | 20.6 | .428 | — | — | 4.6 | 5.5 | 14.7 | 2.2 | — | — | — | 22.2 |
| 1960-61 | NYK | 79 | 37.7 | 8.9 | 20.8 | .428 | — | — | 4.5 | 5.5 | 12.8 | 2.3 | — | — | — | 22.3 |
| 1961-62 | NYK | 75 | 39.7 | 9.0 | 21.7 | .415 | — | — | 4.6 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 2.3 | — | — | — | 22.7 |
| 1962-63 | 2TM | 70 | 27.2 | 7.0 | 16.8 | .417 | — | — | 3.1 | 3.9 | 9.8 | 1.9 | — | — | — | 17.2 |
| NYK | 23 | 29.4 | 8.3 | 20.0 | .413 | — | — | 4.2 | 5.1 | 10.7 | 2.3 | — | — | — | 20.7 | |
| SFW | 47 | 26.1 | 6.3 | 15.0 | .420 | — | — | 2.6 | 3.3 | 9.3 | 1.7 | — | — | — | 15.2 | |
| 1963-64 | BOS | 78 | 18.1 | 8.2 | 19.6 | .417 | — | — | 3.2 | 4.0 | 9.1 | 1.6 | — | — | — | 19.6 |
| 1964-65 | BOS | 71 | 20.6 | 7.4 | 19.3 | .384 | — | — | 3.5 | 4.3 | 8.3 | 1.8 | — | — | — | 18.4 |
| 1965-66 | BOS | 71 | 20.2 | 8.2 | 20.5 | .402 | — | — | 2.6 | 3.3 | 8.0 | 1.8 | — | — | — | 19.1 |
Counting stats scaled to a per-36-minute pace.
Advanced stats
| Season | Tm | G | MP | PER | TS% | USG% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-57 | 2TM | 71 | 1,778 | 13.9 | .396 | — | -1.2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | .012 | — | — | — | — |
| STL | 19 | 438 | 15.5 | .411 | — | -0.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | .046 | — | — | — | — | |
| NYK | 52 | 1,340 | 13.3 | .391 | — | -1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1957-58 | NYK | 68 | 2,369 | 17.1 | .458 | — | 3.1 | 1.6 | 4.6 | .094 | — | — | — | — |
| 1958-59 | NYK | 68 | 2,061 | 16.5 | .442 | — | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | .061 | — | — | — | — |
| 1959-60 | NYK | 65 | 2,250 | 20.1 | .483 | — | 4.1 | 1.2 | 5.3 | .113 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960-61 | NYK | 79 | 2,976 | 19.1 | .480 | — | 4.6 | 1.2 | 5.7 | .092 | — | — | — | — |
| 1961-62 | NYK | 75 | 2,978 | 17.9 | .470 | — | 2.8 | 2.7 | 5.5 | .089 | — | — | — | — |
| 1962-63 | 2TM | 70 | 1,901 | 13.4 | .463 | — | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | .046 | — | — | — | — |
| NYK | 23 | 676 | 17.3 | .465 | — | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | .046 | — | — | — | — | |
| SFW | 47 | 1,225 | 11.2 | .462 | — | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | .046 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1963-64 | BOS | 78 | 1,409 | 14.4 | .458 | — | 0.4 | 3.5 | 3.9 | .132 | — | — | — | — |
| 1964-65 | BOS | 71 | 1,465 | 12.4 | .433 | — | -0.5 | 3.1 | 2.6 | .085 | — | — | — | — |
| 1965-66 | BOS | 71 | 1,433 | 12.5 | .435 | — | -0.7 | 2.5 | 1.8 | .059 | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 716 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34.2 | — | — | — | — | +0.0 |
PER, True Shooting %, Usage %, Win Shares (Off/Def/Total, per 48), Box Plus/Minus (Off/Def/Total) and Value Over Replacement Player.
Playoff stats
| Season | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-59 | 2 | 0.0 | 17.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — | 4.830 |
| 1963-64 | 10 | 17.7 | 9.1 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .389 | — | .433 |
| 1964-65 | 12 | 15.0 | 7.3 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .411 | — | .433 |
| 1965-66 | 11 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .257 | — | .396 |
| Career | 35 | 10.8 | 7.1 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .440 | — | .487 |
Full postseason box-score averages by season, from every playoff game played.
Career splits
| Split | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 358 | 16.0 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 242–116 |
| Away | 359 | 15.5 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 123–236 |
| In wins | 365 | 15.1 | 5.0 | 0.6 | 365–0 |
| In losses | 352 | 16.5 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 0–352 |
Regular-season career splits by venue and result.
Career stats vs each team
| Opponent | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta Hawks | 85 | 15.0 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 43–42 |
| BOS Boston Celtics | 78 | 18.0 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 22–56 |
| DET Detroit Pistons | 87 | 15.8 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 51–36 |
| GSW Golden State Warriors | 95 | 16.9 | 11.0 | 1.7 | 41–54 |
| LAL Los Angeles Lakers | 91 | 15.8 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 51–40 |
| NYK New York Knicks | 36 | 11.9 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 27–9 |
| PHI Philadelphia 76ers | 32 | 11.3 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 19–13 |
Regular-season career averages against each current franchise.
Frequently asked questions
What team does Willie Naulls play for?
Willie Naulls plays SF for the Boston Celtics.
What are Willie Naulls's career stats?
Willie Naulls has averaged 15.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 APG over 10 seasons (1956-57–1965-66).
How tall is Willie Naulls?
Willie Naulls is 6-6 (225 lb).
When was Willie Naulls drafted?
Willie Naulls was drafted in 1956, round 2, pick 10.