Hoops Habit
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Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best shooting guards in team history

By Amaar Burton

HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 16: Kobe Bryant #8 and Eddie Jones #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk against the Dallas Mavericks during a preseason game on October 16, 1996 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 16: Kobe Bryant #8 and Eddie Jones #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk against the Dallas Mavericks during a preseason game on October 16, 1996 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Gail Goodrich (1965-68, 1970-76)

In Gail Goodrich‘s first go-round with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was a good part-time starter, but he wasn’t a star. In three seasons, he split time with Archie Clark and fellow UCLA alum Walt Hazzard in the Lakers’ backcourt alongside Jerry West, averaging 11.6 points and 2.3 assists per game.

In 1968, Goodrich was chosen in the NBA’s expansion draft by the Phoenix Suns. He became an All-Star and 20-point scorer in the desert, and was traded back to the Lakers in 1970.

In his second go-round in L.A., Goodrich was an established star. He made four All-Star Game appearances, First Team All-NBA in 1973-74, helped the Lakers win a championship in 1972, and averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in six seasons.

In the 1972 NBA Finals, Goodrich averaged a team-high 25.6 points against the Knicks, outscoring West and Finals MVP Wilt Chamberlain.

Like West, there’s always been debate over how to classify Goodrich position-wise. Was he a shooting guard or a point guard?

One argument for the point guard side is Goodrich’s height (6’1″). He was shorter than his backcourt mate West (6’2″), and usually the shorter player in a backcourt tandem is the point guard. Then again, the Lakers have employed Magic Johnson and LeBron James at point guard, and they’ve always been taller than their respective backcourt partners.

Related Story. What to expect from LeBron James in his 17th season. light

Goodrich never led the Lakers in assists when he played with West. In his nine seasons with L.A., Goodrich only led L.A. in assists once, after West retired, while starting alongside Lucius Allen.

And for what it’s worth, Basketball-Reference.com lists Goodrich as a shooting guard for every year of his career except for his time in Phoenix.

Goodrich left L.A. as a free agent in 1976, signing with the New Orleans Jazz.

Although there was some acrimony between Goodrich and the Lakers — he sued the franchise in 1977 claiming he was shorted on salary payments — bridges were restored enough that Goodrich’s No. 25 jersey was retired in 1996, a decade before he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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