Los Angeles Lakers greatest scorers: 14. Pau Gasol
The arrival of Pau Gasol in Los Angeles undoubtedly changed the fortunes of the Los Angeles Lakers in the late 2000s. Kobe Bryant was on the back side of his prime and needed another weapon if he was going to make another run at the title and Pau was the perfect compliment to do that. Inherently involved in that role was Gasol’s ability to score, which he did at an impressive rate over his seven seasons in Los Angeles.
Through seven seasons and 429 games played with the Lakers, Pau garnered 7,610 total points with the Lakers. His average of 17.7 points per game on 52.2 percent shooting is undeniably impressive, but also is slightly lessened by some injury-plagued seasons at the end of his run. In his first 4.5 seasons with Los Angeles, Gasol put up 18.5 points per game while hitting an impressive 53.4 percent of his shots from the field. He was the perfect second option in the post to compliment Kobe.
Bryant’s exploits over Pau’s run with the Lakers and the tumultuous state that the organization was in when he left somewhat overshadow just how good he was for the Lakers. While he wasn’t known exclusively as a scorer, there’s no getting around the fact that he made his mark in Los Angeles in that regard.