In ranking the best all-time Los Angeles Lakers bench players, focusing on those from the 1980s on, the No. 1 spot is held by none other than Lamar Odom. In his seven seasons with the Lakers, Odom brought versatility and a skill set that at the time nobody in the league possessed.
At 6’10” and 230 lbs., Odom provided size, length, athleticism, shooting, ball-handling, defense and passing. He would bring the ball up the court and run the offense, and was capable of playing every position on the floor.
During the 2010-11 season, Odom played all 82 games while averaging 14.4 points on 53 percent shooting, with 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.74 blocks per game to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award. He started 35 games in place of injured center Andrew Bynum.
But even with all his success, it never got to Odom’s head. He played so nonchalantly with the Lakers that it made us all wonder what else he was capable of. Keep in mind, the sixth man might be the most difficult role on an NBA team as players are expected to produce like starters despite coming off the bench.
The reason Odom earned the No. 1 spot in the rankings is because of how difficult he made it for other teams to match up with. He was too quick for most big men and too big for smaller players.
Lamar Odom was a true nightmare for opponents while with the Lakers.
Top Lakers bench players
No. 2: Robert Horry
No. 3: Brian Shaw
No. 4: Lou Williams
No. 5: Michael Cooper
