No. 1: Pau Gasol
Gasol is the third player to appear on the list of both best Lakers centers, where he ranked No. 5, and power forwards, where he is an obvious No. 1 choice. The fact is that he performed equally well at both positions, but the Lakers had four other extraordinary 5’s.
In one of Mitch Kupchak’s best-ever moves, he traded for Pau once Andrew Bynum suffered a serious knee injury. At first, Gasol replaced Bynum at center, teaming with power forward Odom and Bryant to lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals.
After Bynum returned, Gasol moved over to power forward, where he had predominantly played at Memphis, and gave the Lakers an outstanding “high-low’ combination. When Bynum was out, Gasol switched back over to the 5 alongside Odom.
Pau was a major force propelling the Lakers to their back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Some thought that Gasol rather than Bryant should have been named the Finals MVP against the Celtics in the second title run.
The native Spaniard excelled in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, in which he was a natural fit. He had a soft touch, could score inside with either hand and he was an outstanding passer as well as a solid rebounder.
Gasol averaged 17.7 points, almost 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in his 6 ½ Lakers seasons. He formed a close bond with Bryant, who remains a strong supporter. If Kobe has his way, after Pau retires from the NBA he will be the 11th LA Lakers player to have his jersey retired at Staples Center.
Next: 50 Greatest Players In Lakers Franchise History
For those following closely, the chronological order of the 10 best power forwards is Mikkelsen-LaRusso-Hairston-McAdoo-Green-Thompson-Horry-Odom-Gasol-Randle.
All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com