If you were to start naming the best players to ever suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers, how long would it take to even consider Nick Young?
The L.A. Times Sports staff revealed the results of that ambitious question. Their experts only looked at players who played at least 100 games with the franchise. Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Shaquille O’Neal topped the list.
One player who felt like he was shorted, however, was Nick “Swaggy P” Young. He tweeted: “The hate is real why ya’ll hate me but love me..” after the results of the poll were posted online.
The hate is real why y’all hate me but love me.. https://t.co/Oe5d8gRHiG
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) November 15, 2022
Young ranks outside of the top 100 (behind role players like Ronny Turiaf and JaVale McGee) in total win shares while with the Lakers.
Among all players who played at least 100 games for the Purple and Gold, Young’s defensive box-plus minus ranks second-worst in franchise history.
He had 228 assists in 220 games during his time with the team between 2013 and 2017. For comparison, guard Kendall Marshall joined the roster during the same season. He recorded 477 assists over the course of 54 games during the one season he suited up for the Lakers.
Young, however, does rank among the top 60 in total turnovers recorded while with Los Angeles.
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