Nate McMillan averaged six points and nearly three steals per game for the 1993–94 SuperSonics. Put those two facts together and Seattle’s basketball history offers a useful warning about judging a player by the first number in the box score.

The NBA’s season record confirms his steals title. His 216 steals in 73 games work out to 2.96 per game.

A big contribution in a smaller scoring role

The Basketball-Reference season table fills in the shape of McMillan’s year: 73 appearances, eight starts and 25.8 minutes per game. Alongside those six points, he averaged 5.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

The combination is more interesting than any one total. A player appearing largely off the bench was generating possessions for Seattle, helping teammates score and collecting rebounds. His limited scoring did not describe the full size of his involvement.

Nor does a steals title automatically settle every defensive argument. Steals record one successful outcome. They do not count the passing lane an opponent decided against using, identify every rotation or explain whether a defender took a good risk. McMillan’s season is a reason to investigate a player’s work more closely, rather than replace one oversimplified ranking with another.

The habit began before Seattle

NC State’s November 2000 account of his appointment as Sonics interim coach points to an earlier marker: McMillan led the ACC with 90 steals in 1986.

Seattle selected him 30th overall that year. His biography in USA Basketball’s 2018 coaching announcement, republished by the Pacers, records a 12-season playing career spent entirely with the SuperSonics, followed by the retirement of his No. 10.

That continuity gives the Seattle story some depth. McMillan was present across changing rosters and changing responsibilities. By the time his name became familiar to another generation as a head coach, he had already built a long playing history in the city.

The league also recognized his defense beyond one statistical category: McMillan made the All-Defensive Second Team in both 1993–94 and 1994–95, as shown in the NBA’s year-by-year awards list.

Follow the possession after the steal

A productive way to revisit McMillan is to continue watching after the turnover. Who controls the loose ball? Is a teammate already running? Does the first pass create an advantage, or does the team need to settle into its offense?

Those questions distinguish a change of possession from a guaranteed scoring play. They also make the viewing more useful than a succession of isolated steals. A defender can start the opportunity, while a teammate’s decision determines how much the team gets from it.

Apply the same care to an assist. Notice whether the pass arrives where a shooter can use it and whether it comes before the defense recovers. The official total preserves the result; a full possession provides the basketball around it.

This is a viewing framework, not a claim that every McMillan highlight demonstrates the same technique. The point is to look for the sequence that connects defense, control and a usable offensive chance.

Keep the supporting players in the story

Seattle’s best-known names provide an easy entrance into Sonics history. Players such as McMillan make that history fuller. His 1993–94 line shows the value of asking what a player supplied when the offense did not revolve around his own shot.

Our look at Jack Sikma’s footwork takes a similar approach to another Seattle career: begin with the work on the court, then return to the résumé.

McMillan’s retired number represents years of that work. His steals-leading season is a particularly good place to start looking.

Cover image is illustrative basketball photography, not documentation of the players, venue or event discussed.