Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

4. James Worthy (SF/PF) — No. 1 overall pick in 1982 NBA Draft

Career stats (as a Laker): 926 GP, 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 STL, 0.7 BLK, 2.0 TOV, 52.1 FG%, 24.1 3P%, 76.9 FT%

One of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, James Worthy, comes in fourth in our pecking order.

The Hall of Famer spent his entire 12-year career as a member of the Lakers, making seven All-Star teams along the way and earning All-NBA Second Team distinction twice (1990, 1992).

He also won three championships with the storied organization, in 1985, 1987 and 1988. During that last title run, which turned out to be the final one for the Showtime Lakers, Worthy was named Finals MVP.

In that series — a brutal seven-game bout against the Detroit Pistons — Worthy averaged 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while shooting 49.2 percent from the floor. And in the deciding Game 7, the combo forward had the best performance of his career, scoring 36 crucial points, pulling down 16 boards and dishing out 10 assists; he made 15 of his 22 shot attempts on the night.

Let me reiterate that: Worthy dropped a 36-16-10 stat line in arguably the biggest game of his life. (He definitely earned that “Big Game James” moniker.)

For his career, Worthy didn’t rebound well enough to be a 4. He couldn’t really shoot from beyond 18 feet either, so likewise, he wasn’t a 3.

And yet, even without a true position, he was so effective in other facets — like running the floor and destroying slow-footed bigs in the post — that he still ended up becoming one of the greatest Lakers of all time.