Hoops Habit
Fansided

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: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
(Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

3. Michael Cooper (1978-90)

Anyone who remembers the defensive specialist of the “Showtime” Lakers probably has Michael Cooper on their shortlist of the greatest defenders in NBA history.

Coming off the bench, Cooper didn’t have to score much on teams that featured Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon and Byron Scott, among others. Cooper averaged 8.9 points per game in 12 seasons.

Cooper’s legacy was built on defense, where he was an eight-time All-Defensive Team pick (five times on the First Team) and was voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1986-87.

That defensive acumen helped the Los Angeles Lakers win five championships: 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

In today’s game, he’d be known as a “3-and-D” player. Cooper ranks No. 8 in Los Angeles Lakers’ history in 3-pointers made (428), but in his era teams just didn’t shoot many 3-pointers. Cooper’s season-high in the category was 89. For comparison, James Harden made 87 threes in January and February of this year.

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It wasn’t that Cooper made a lot of highlight-reel defensive plays. He averaged just 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in his career, peaking at 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in 1980-81. He was simply great at making life miserable for some of the league’s top scorers. Cooper’s long arms, quick feet, conditioning, tenacity and basketball IQ made him the last guy you wanted to be lined up across from you with instructions to shut you down.

After he retired from playing, Cooper stayed close to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an assistant coach for the team from 1994-97, then served two stints as head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks. He led the Sparks to WNBA championships in 2000 and 2001.

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