This is the fifth installment in a multi-part series ranking the best Los Angeles Lakers at each position.
We continue our series breaking down the greatest Los Angeles Lakers players at every position. As a reminder, this is the criteria for a player to be included on the list.
• Played a minimum of 3 seasons with the Lakers. Longevity with the team is a factor. More recent Laker players are not favored over those from the more distant past.
• Only performance with the Lakers counts
• Players can be rated at more than one position
• Minneapolis Laker players are included
Previous installments featured rankings at other positions. Center, power forward, small forward and shooting guard have been done. This time around, we rate the top point guards, which will include a mixture of players throughout various Laker eras.
Honorable Mention:
• Jim Price– A backup point guard as a rookie in 1972-73, he moved into the starting lineup his second year when injury limited the great Jerry West to just 33 games. Price was traded early the following season but returned to the Lakers as a free agent in 1978-79. Overall, in just over 3 years with the Lakers, he averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.3 APG.
• Jordan Farmar– A UCLA alum who also had two stints with the Lakers. He did a nice job as a backup point guard for his first four seasons, including the back-to-back championship years of 2009-10. He then returned for an encore as a free agent three years later. His Laker averages were 7.3 PPG and 2.5 APG while playing less than half the game.
• Slick Leonard– When Slater Martin was traded, Slick replaced him as the starting point guard for the team’s final four seasons in Minneapolis. He also spent the team’s first year in LA as a reserve. He averaged 8.8 PPG and 2.8 APG as a Laker. He later enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as a coach.