Of all the players in franchise history who hack and slap and too often picked up personal fouls at a great clip, you might not expect who is right near the top of the franchise list, coming to us for day two of this Obscure/Lost Suns stats for this Second Days of Christmas list.
Granted longevity plays the most important role in which players in franchise history have committed the most total personal fouls, and Walter Davis played in the second most games for the Suns ever.
However, of all those players who have spent a considerable amount of time with Phoenix who fouled with greater impunity than he, who would have guessed that it is ‘Sweet D’ who is second in franchise history in personal fouls in his Phoenix Suns career.
It’s not like Davis was a hack artist however, and truly he only holds the distinction of having the second most fouls in Suns history because of his longevity. With 1,888 fouls in 766 games, Davis only averaged 2.4 personal fouls per game, hardly a number to be considered a major issue, especially for a career that expanded 11 seasons in the Valley of the Suns.
Impressively too, Davis’ personal fouls peaked in his second season, and his first two years in the league were his only two in which he averaged at least 3.0 per game, 3.0 in 1977-78 and 3.2 in 1978-79.
So if Walter Davis is number two, can you guess who is number one? (I’ll give you a hint, he played in more games than anyone in a Suns uniform, ever.)
That’s right, Alvan Adams.
In 988 games, a full 122 more than Davis, Adams committed 3,214 personal fouls, nearly more than twice as many as Davis.
Adams’ 3.2 personal fouls per game in his career is nearly a full foul more per game than Davis, a number that today is only comped by Marquese Chriss.
Wereas Walter Davis only averaged at least 3.0 personal fouls in a season twice in his career, Adams averaged below 3.0 only once in his 13 seasons, averaging as many as 3.6 per game twice, once in his second season, and then again in his eighth.
The last Suns player to average at least 3.6 was Amar’e Stoudemire who averaged 3.7 in 2007-08.
Next: 12 Days of Christmas Lost/Obscure Stats in Suns History - Day 1
Fortunately Marquese Chriss is nowhere near the top of the total list nor even fouls per game yet, and is currently averaging only 2.9 per game this season (although 5.1 per-36 minutes, so there’s that).
And thus ends the discussion of this 12 Days of Christmas of Obscure/Lost Suns Stats Day 2. See you back here tomorrow for day three!