Los Angeles Lakers: Three best late first-round picks in team history

1. Derek Fisher

• Years with the Los Angeles Lakers: 1996-2004; 2007-2012
• Career averages with the Los Angeles Lakers: 7.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals

Derek Fisher does not have the most impressive stats, not in the slightest. Any non-Laker fans that do not know much about Fisher might look at his career stats with surface-level knowledge and conclude that he was a below-average point guard.

While his numbers definitely are not spectacular, it is impossible to ignore the impact that Fisher had on the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of all five of the championship teams led by Kobe Bryant and when it was time to hit a big three, Fisher was there.

He was never an all-star, never earned any All-NBA or All-Defensive nods of any kind. He was not a superstar. He was not a household name outside of LA. But while the quality might not seem to be there on the surface, the quantity certainly is and there is a reason that Fisher has the most years played of anyone on this list and is in the franchise’s all-time ranks.

Fisher ranks fifth all-time in games played for the Los Angeles Lakers (915). He played more games in the purple and gold than Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, and of course, Shaquille O’Neal.

That was not by accident. Fisher became a fan-favorite for a reason. He was a great teammate, a clutch three-point shooter and a great teammate. He may have been a sidekick on all five of the championship teams, but that does not matter.

The Lakers selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. They are more than happy with what they got out of the selection.