Los Angeles Lakers: Three best late first-round picks in team history
By Jason Reed
3. Norm Nixon
- Years with Los Angeles Lakers: 1977-1983
- Career averages with the Los Angeles Lakers: 16.4 points, 7.9 assists, 1.8 steals
The Los Angeles Lakers picked Norm Nixon with the 22nd overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft and he made an immediate impact on the team. Nixon was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team as he went on to average 13.7 points, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Nixon was a textbook starting point guard for the NBA and was great in his role with the Lakers. He was a facilitator in every respect, could get to the basket and score and was a pest on the defensive side of the ball, averaging as many as two and a half steals per game in one season.
Nixon was the only player in the league to have 7,000 points, 3,500 assists and 800 steals in his six seasons with the Lakers. Only seven players in the NBA had over 800 steals in this period, Nixon had the fourth-most.
He was never named to an All-Defensive team for his play, however, he was an all-star twice in his career, one coming with the Los Angeles Lakers and one coming with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Injuries after the 1985-1986 season essentially ended Nixon’s career as he missed two years and came back to only play 35 games. However, he was a very solid starter for the Los Angeles Lakers for six years, winning two championships in 1980 and 1982 in the backcourt alongside Magic Johnson.