Wes Unseld: The Best Outlet Passer the NBA has Ever Seen

Outlet passing is often the forgotten art in the sport of basketball. It is one of the most fundamental plays if executed properly, yet not many players know how to do it effectively anymore. In today’s modern NBA, the premier outlet passer that jumps to mind is Kevin Love. However, what if I were to tell you that there was a player from back in the day who was even better at it? What if I were to tell you that player actually inspired Kevin Love to be the effective outlet passer he is today? That player would be former Washington Bullet Wes Unseld.

Wes Unseld is one of the most underrated stars in NBA history. Not many common fans know about him because he played in an era that was dominated by elite big men like Wilt Chamberlain and Willis Reed. Surprisingly enough, Unseld was the second player ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season along with Wilt. Unseld became a leader for the Bullets throughout his career leading them to a title over the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 season. Before you ask, yes he did win Finals MVP. However, there was an aspect of his game that separated Unseld from the common star. Outlet passing was an art form in the game that Unseld had perfected. If you go on YouTube and look up some of his highlights, you can see some of his biggest highlights were throwing a beautiful outlet pass that led to a score. Kevin Love has even admitted that Wes inspired him to be the great outlet passer he is today for the Cavaliers. Not surprising considering how often we have seen him throw a pass to LeBron or Kyrie that led to an easy score. Rumor has it that Unseld used to be able to throw the pass the entire length of the court almost hitting the back board and still have it lead to a basket for a teammate. Unseld’s passing ability helped lead him to a career assist average of 3.9 per game which is actually not bad for a big man, especially when you consider how long ago he played. One season he even averaged 5.2 assists per game. His outlet passing became legendary and shaped the way players conduct outlet passing to this day.

Wes Unseld will always be one of the most beloved figures in Washington Bullets history. He was as good of a rebounder as they come and despite battling knee trouble throughout his career, he still managed to be elite. Nevertheless, the one thing that will always separate him from his other star counterparts in his era was his outlet passing. Never before had the NBA seen a big man be able to throw an outlet pass as smooth as he did and he ended up revolutionizing this aspect of basketball. Next time you are watching a game and see Kevin Love execute a perfect outlet pass, just remember that you can thank Wes Unseld for that part of the game today.