Ranking 24 worst Lakers starters of the Kobe Bryant era

4. Corie Blount

Blount was a first-round pick in 1993 by the Chicago Bulls who arrived in LA in 1995 when his rights were sold to the Lakers. The 6’9 big man was a reserve playing 11 minutes per game in his first two seasons.

The 27-year-old played a similar role in his year with the Lakers before getting more minutes in the 1996-97 season. Los Angeles had just drafted Kobe Bryant and signed Shaquille O’Neal. They were ready to contend, but the Diesel played just 51 games in his first season with the Lake Show.

It opened the door for Blount to start, but he was unimpressive. He averaged just 4.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.

Corie Blount played another season and a half with the Lakers before being waived in 1999. He made 26 starts in LA but averaged just 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. The 6’9 big man played five more years in the NBA as a reserve and produced similar numbers throughout his career.

The Los Angeles Lakers held onto Blount for too long, and he had zero business starting. He was completely out of the rotation in two of his three postseason runs with the franchise, which further shows the Lakers did not trust him when it mattered most.