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4 Lakers You Would've Never Guessed Led the Team in Scoring

By Alexander Wolz

Some surprise names, like Nick Young, once led the Lakers in scoring.
Some surprise names, like Nick Young, once led the Lakers in scoring. / Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Few other teams have as many legendary players as the Los Angeles Lakers. From Shaquille O'Neal to Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, there is an expansive list of Hall of Fame names who spent significant time in LA.

Most years, those big names dominated the NBA scoreboard, but other years, some unexpected options picked up the slack. Here are four Lakers that you may be surprised were once the team's best scorers.

4. Gail Goodrich

Gail Goodrich was a consistent scorer throughout his time in LA.
Gail Goodrich was a consistent scorer throughout his time in LA. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

In the 1970s, the Lakers roster was dominated by all-time greats Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. While Chamberlain's early career scoring numbers were insane, he was less of a threat late in his career. Jerry West was a consistent 20-point scorer during his time out West, but Gail Goodrich's 25.9 points per game bested him by a mere .1 in the 1971-72 season. It shouldn't be as surprising as it sounds, though, because Goodrich accomplished the same feat the next three seasons.

3. Byron Scott

Many are quick to forget about Byron Scott's time playing on the hardwood.
Many are quick to forget about Byron Scott's time playing on the hardwood. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson led the Lakers throughout the 1980s. The NBA's all-time points leader unsurprisingly paced the team in scoring for numerous years, but that was not the case in the 1987-88 season. Abdul-Jabbar's numbers began to dwindle toward the end of his career, while Byron Scott rose above the rest to average 21.7 ppg on the season, a shocking team high considering the talent on the roster.

2. Sedale Threatt

Sedale Threatt found his stride in Los Angeles.
Sedale Threatt found his stride in Los Angeles. / Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Many people may not know the name, but Sedale Threatt was an important piece of the Lakers roster throughout the 1990s. Threatt had his best years from 1991 to 1993, as he averaged 15.1 ppg in the starting role following Magic Johnson's HIV diagnosis. While James Worthy bested him in the '91-92 season, Threatt was the team's leading scorer in the '92-93 season, a surprising truth for a player of which many NBA fans may have never heard.

1. Nick Young

Nick Young's career was more than you may remember.
Nick Young's career was more than you may remember. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Following Shaquille O'Neal's departure, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring every season from 2004 to his retirement in 2016, with one exception. In the 2013-14 season, Bryant had a surprisingly down year, and his 13.8 ppg representing his lowest scoring output since his rookie season. That enabled Nick Young to deliver his best scoring season ever, with 17.9 ppg, to surpass Bryant and become the Lakers' most prolific scorer in the peak of his career.