Byron Scott
Love him or hate him, Byron Scott could flat out ball.
Newer generations of Los Angeles Lakers fans might have a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to the name Byron Scott.
As a coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Byron Scott was synonymous with holding the young Lakers back, being too old school, questioning players manhood, pushing players buttons, and potentially damaging young players’ early development. All in the name of being “Kobe’s guy” for his farewell tour.
It is easy to focus on that aspect of his career and allow that to be the defining moment of his Lakers tenure, but if you focus on his playing career, few players have given more effort to the purple and gold.
An undersized shooting guard standing 6 ft 3 in, Scott made up for his size with his tenacity on both ends of the ball.
A native of Inglewood California, Scott grew up near the Great Western Forum, his no non-sense style endeared him to his teammates ( After they initially shunned him as he was traded for locker room favorite Norm Nixon.
Scott added some toughness to a team that truly needed it. Alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they were able to win 3 more rings for the purple and gold.
Scott’s best season for the purple and gold came in the 1987-88 season where he led the Lakers in scoring (21.7PPG) and Steals (1.91SPG).
Scott should have been an All-Star during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. His level of play warranted him at least making it one time but unfortunately for Scott, it wasn’t meant to be.
In today’s NBA, Byron Scott would unquestionably be an All-Star.
Capable of playing in your face lock-down defense and shooting the 3-point shot at a scorching 37%, Scott would have stats that would make even the biggest stat nerd blush.
While still undersized, Scott would be the perfect combo guard for this iteration of the purple and gold. If he was able to work on being a better play-maker, Scott would be a perennial All-Star at the point guard position.
To liken Scott to a current Laker, he would be similar to Avery Bradley but with a significantly higher ability to score. An undersized shooting guard, both Bradley, and Scott play a brand of in your face defense and bring toughness to the team, both capable of nailing a 3-point shot and both would be forced to play the point guard position so they could lock up the opposing teams best point guard on a night to night basis.
With the NBA very much a point guard driven league ( As well as a small forward driven league) having a lock-down defender would be huge and Scott would do incredibly in that role.
Once again, love him or hate em, put some respect on Byron Scott’s name.