The Golden State Warriors have seen many of the league's all-time greats suit up for the franchise, dating back to the 1950s. Stephen Curry has dominated the talk regarding the best player in franchise history, but the advanced metrics tell a different story.
Especially based on Player Efficiency Rating, or PER.
PER was inspired by John Hollinger over 17 years ago, who sought to identify an all encompassing stat to determine a player's quality of play. The scores are scaled in tiers, as a 15 is average and indicative of a mid-tier player, 20 is considered All-Star caliber, while 25 and above is superstar caliber and MVP level.
With that being said, let's take a look at the best Warriors players in franchise history, based on PER.
10. Jerry Lucas- 19.6
Jerry Lucas had already become a household name before joining the Warriors, as he joined the team in his seventh season in the league via trade. Lucas was one of the game's most dominant rebounders, averaging 15.2 rebounds with the Warriors, despite being later in his career, and has a career average of 15.6 boards through 11 seasons.
Making this more impressive is the fact that he was only 6-foot-8 and didn't ooze with athleticism.
Lucas was also a very efficient scorer for the Dubs, averaging 17.7 points on 50.1 percent from the field, despite taking countless long-range shots.
The Cincinatti Royals traded Lucas to the Warriors due to poor conditioning and a lazy work ethic, which sounds crazy for a player who averaged 19.6 points and 19.1 rebounds for them.
Lucas would be traded once more after just two short seasons, as the Dubs dealt him to the New York Knicks.
All told, Lucas compiled an impressive basketball resume, making seven All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams, the 50th Anniversary Team, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.