10 best point guards in Los Angeles Lakers history

5. Nick Van Exel (1993-98)

Prior to Nick Van Exel, the Los Angeles Lakers could lay claim to setting the standard for traditional point guard play. Although franchise icon Magic Johnson was flashy, he was still a true pass-first floor general who prioritized setting up teammates and running the offense above all else.

Van Exel came along at the beginning of a new era, when the NBA was embracing more shoot-first point guards (some people used to call them “points guards”). Less like Magic and more like Allen Iverson, Van Exel thrived as something the Lakers weren’t used to.

“Nick The Quick” spent the first five years of his career with the Lakers, averaging 14.9 points and 7.3 assists per game. He made the All-Rookie Second Team in 1993-94. He made his All-Star Game debut in 1998, one of four Lakers to earn All-Star honors that year (Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal).

Van Exel helped L.A. advance to the Western Conference Finals in ’98 along with two other second-round appearances.

At a time before the word “swag” had permeated pop culture, Van Exel was among the league leaders in that category.

His clutch buckets were often punctuated by his shadowboxing routine or his “lower the roof” celebration. (A precursor to the LeBron James “silencer.”) When Van Exel was on a hot streak, you couldn’t wipe that trademark sneer off his face. He had some other quirks, like his habit of taking free throws almost from the top of the key.

The Lakers traded Van Exel to Denver in 1998. He later played for the Dallas, Golden State, Portland and San Antonio, carving out a niche as an instant-offense sixth man who was never shy about taking the big shot and never surprised when he buried it.