Greatest Lakers of the 21st century, third and second:
3) Pau Gasol
Nobody can realistically argue that Pau has had a better career than LeBron. But by virtue of his seven seasons with the club, including the last two LA title teams, Gasol deserves to be ranked higher at this point.
Former General Manager Mitch Kupchak made what was probably his best-ever deal by trading for Pau when Bynum went down with a serious knee injury. One of the league’s most consistent, multi-skilled big men, the Spaniard was equally adept at playing center, where he teamed with power forward Odom or moving over to power forward when Bynum returned.
Gasol was a 3-time all-star who excelled in the Lakers triangle offense. He had a soft shooting touch, could score inside with either hand, was an outstanding passer and a solid rebounder. In 429 regular-season games with LA, he averaged 17.7 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.4 blocks, ranking in the Lakers top 15-20 in all of those categories.
His play helped propel the Lakers to the Finals in his first season and to win back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Some thought that he rather than Bryant should have been named the Finals MVP against the Celtics in that second title run. In the 2010 postseason, he was outstanding, averaging 19.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG and 3.5 APG.
2) Shaquille O’Neal
He was the NBA’s preeminent big man throughout his eight seasons with the Lakers, five of which occurred this century. Shaq totally dominated the paint, a 7-1, 325 pound or so unrelenting force of nature who was impossible to guard.
When Phil Jackson was hired, O’Neal was a perfect fit for the triangle offense. In 354 games in the 2000’s, he averaged 27 PPG, 12 RPG, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocks. He and Kobe formed one of the best “inside-outside” combinations in NBA history.
Shaq was a major reason why the Lakers made four Finals in five seasons, including the “three-peat” title teams of 2000-02 when he was named Finals MVP each year. In both the 2000 and 2001 postseasons he averaged over 30 points and 15 rebounds. No player since then has done that even once.
The Diesel made the all-star team all five of his seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers this century. On the team’s all-time list he is tied for second in PPG while ranking seventh in career points and fifth in RPG. He converted nearly 58% of his field-goal attempts (but only 53% of his free throws).