5 Greatest Point Guards in Los Angeles Lakers History

One of the most storied franchises in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers have had no shortage of greats at any position.

It may not quite stack up to the array of centers they've had, but point guard has been one of the Lakers' most impressive positions over the years. With that in mind, let's look at the five greatest point guards in Lakers history.

5. Nick Van Exel (1993-1998)

The early to mid-1990's were an uncharacteristically quiet time for the Lakers, but Nick Van Exel was one of the major bright spots. He played five season in L.A. averaging a combined 14.9 points and 7.3 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He capped off his Lakers tenure with his lone All-Star Game appearance in the 1997-98 season.

4. Norm Nixon (1977-1983)

Maybe the most unheralded player on the list, Norm Nixon played over 39.0 minutes per game in the postseason for the Lakers' 1979-80 and 1981-82 championship runs. He averaged a double-double with 17.7 points and 10.0 assists per game in the 1982 finals.

3. Derek Fisher (1996-2004, 2007-2012)

Derek Fisher had two distinctly different stints with the Lakers, but both were highly impressive. He was part of the three-peat championship team in the early 2000's and was also there for the back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. He was never the go-to guy on his teams, but with that level of success and incredibly longevity (fifth in Lakers history with 915 games played), it's impossible to keep him off the list.

2. Jerry West (1960-1974)

Second in Lakers history in points (25,192) and third in assists (6,238), Jerry West is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, let alone team history. There's a reason he's The Logo. West played his entire 14-year career in L.A. being named an All-Star in all 14 seasons. He averaged a career 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game and was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times. West was named to the Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Lakers retired his jersey in 1983.

1. Magic Johnson (1979-1996)

Who else? It takes a truly special player to push Jerry West down to No. 2, and Magic Johnson is just that. Magic and the Showtime Lakers won five championships in the 1980's, and Johnson was named Finals MVP for three of the five. His career numbers include an average of 19.5 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. A three-time league MVP, 12-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA First Team selection, Johnson led the NBA in assists per game four times, and he's one of only five players in NBA history with at least 10,000 career assists (10,141 — the most in Lakers history).

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.