Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
By Frank Urbina
7. Norm Nixon (PG) — No. 22 pick in 1977 NBA Draft
Career stats (as a Laker): 485 GP, 16.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.8 STL, 0.1 BLK, 3.2 TOV, 50.0 FG%, 13.3 3P%, 77.0 FT%
Coming in at No. 7, we have the underappreciated Norm Nixon, point guard for Los Angeles during the late ’70s and early ’80s.
The Duquesne legend spent six years with the Lakers before being traded to the then-San Diego Clippers in 1984. (More on that in a bit.) Nixon made the All-Rookie first team in 1978, the All-Star team in 1982, and, with him running point, LA won titles in 1980 and 1982.
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Despite his struggles as a shooter, the floor general was an excellent scorer (as well as a superb distributor). He was so adept at getting buckets, in fact, that during Los Angeles’ 1982 title run, Nixon led the team in scoring for the playoffs, at 20.4 points per game.
And though he didn’t win Finals MVP for his performance in that season’s championship series, the Lakers lead guard deserved consideration; in the 1982 NBA Finals, Nixon averaged 17.7 points, 10.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest, while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.
Sadly, because the Lakers also had this guy who went by Magic playing the same position he did, Nixon’s time in Los Angeles came to an end prior to the 1984 campaign. He was dealt to the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Byron Scott, who wound up being the starting 2-guard for the Showtime Lakers, and eventually, one of the team’s best coaches ever. (Too soon? Are we still not laughing about that? Okay, apologies then.)
As a player, Scott was a vital contributor for three title-winning teams in Los Angeles, so if we really wanna reach, we could say Nixon had a hand in five of the team’s championships. In reality though, he was simply a great Laker, and one we should remember more fondly.