1982 Draft: Which was the right pick for the Lakers???

[Mr. Friscus]

In the 1982 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected James Worthy from UNC with the #1 pick. He went on to be a central piece in 3 Lakers championships with Magic Johnson among others.

But when you look at the NBA draft in 1982, there's a name that sticks out that they passed up. A guy from Georgia University, named Dominique Wilkins

"Nique" went on to be a HOF scoring superstar on the Atlanta Hawks, but there's a "what if" in 1982 if the Lakers took Dominique and paired him with Magic, Kareem, etc.

 

[broncosmitty]

Wilkins high volume shooting never would’ve happened with the Lakers.

Sure he was more athletic than Worthy, but Worthy played a role. And it wasn’t as alpha looking for 20-25 shots a night.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

Wilkins high volume shooting never would’ve happened with the Lakers.

Sure he was more athletic than Worthy, but Worthy played a role. And it wasn’t as alpha looking for 20-25 shots a night.

Ehhh magic dishing to Nique might have been more “showtime” than anything we got with Worthy

 

[broncosmitty]

Ehhh magic dishing to Nique might have been more “showtime” than anything we got with Worthy

Maybe.

But we need to remember Worthy didn’t start right away. LA had Jamal Wilkes at SF. And he was an AS in Nique and Worthy’s rookie year. Worthy didn’t take over as starting SF until year three.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

In the 1982 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected James Worthy from UNC with the #1 pick. He went on to be a central piece in 3 Lakers championships with Magic Johnson among others.

But when you look at the NBA draft in 1982, there's a name that sticks out that they passed up. A guy from Georgia University, named Dominique Wilkins

"Nique" went on to be a HOF scoring superstar on the Atlanta Hawks, but there's a "what if" in 1982 if the Lakers took Dominique and paired him with Magic, Kareem, etc.

Wilkins would have some rings on his fingers

 

[tlance]

In the 1982 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected James Worthy from UNC with the #1 pick. He went on to be a central piece in 3 Lakers championships with Magic Johnson among others.

But when you look at the NBA draft in 1982, there's a name that sticks out that they passed up. A guy from Georgia University, named Dominique Wilkins

"Nique" went on to be a HOF scoring superstar on the Atlanta Hawks, but there's a "what if" in 1982 if the Lakers took Dominique and paired him with Magic, Kareem, etc.

Nique was a very good player.

But Worthy fit with Magic and Kareem so well.

I don’t believe the Lakers would have been better with Nique.

But I would bet that Worthy would have scored more if he played his entire career in Atlanta.

 

[trojanfan12]

Ehhh magic dishing to Nique might have been more “showtime” than anything we got with Worthy

And likely fewer titles too. The Lakers had a lot of internal discussion re: who to take and they decided that Worthy was the best fit. Considering how it turned out, they made the right choice. Worthy's personality and style of play fit perfectly as Worthy was willing to sacrifice his own numbers for the good of the team and he brought defense that 'Nique didn't.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Say you don't know much about the NBA without saying it

Worthy fit the Lakers great. 'Nique was a great player but Worhy earned the nickname "Big game James" for a reason.

You cannot just plug in a player like 'Nique and say they would be better necessarily. Only 1 ball to go around and sech.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Maybe.

But we need to remember Worthy didn’t start right away. LA had Jamal Wilkes at SF. And he was an AS in Nique and Worthy’s rookie year. Worthy didn’t take over as starting SF until year three.

Exactly.

 

[DJ Fieri]

How many big games did 'Nique win?

Worthy came through a lot in the clutch. Hence, his nickname

 

[trojanfan12]

Maybe.

But we need to remember Worthy didn’t start right away. LA had Jamal Wilkes at SF. And he was an AS in Nique and Worthy’s rookie year. Worthy didn’t take over as starting SF until year three.

Worthy tells a funny story about that...

He shows up for his first practice and is sizing everybody up trying to figure out whose spot he's going to take and settles on Rambis.

Hilarious James Worthy & Kurt Rambis story 😂

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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[thunderc]

Maybe we need a thread about whether the Thunder should have taken KD with the 2nd pick that year.

 

[BigFin]

Terry Cummings would’ve probably been a better fit than Nique. He was excellent before the injury, and maybe better than Worthy.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Maybe we need a thread about whether the Thunder should have taken KD with the 2nd pick that year.

LMAO.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Terry Cummings would’ve probably been a better fit than Nique. He was excellent before the injury, and maybe better than Worthy.

Um, no....

 

[DJ Fieri]

And likely fewer titles too. The Lakers had a lot of internal discussion re: who to take and they decided that Worthy was the best fit. Considering how it turned out, they made the right choice. Worthy's personality and style of play fit perfectly as Worthy was willing to sacrifice his own numbers for the good of the team and he brought defense that 'Nique didn't.

Yep.

Worthy was a good defender and 'Nique wasn't.

 

[BigFin]

Um, no....

Cummings carried his teams

 

[Mr. Friscus]

How many big games did 'Nique win?

Worthy came through a lot in the clutch. Hence, his nickname

His prime he kept running into the 80’s Celtics. The back and forth showdown between Bird and Nique in game 7 is still talked about. Nique dropped 47, Bird 33. The Celtics just had a better team

 

[Mr. Friscus]

Say you don't know much about the NBA without saying it

Worthy fit the Lakers great. 'Nique was a great player but Worhy earned the nickname "Big game James" for a reason.

You cannot just plug in a player like 'Nique and say they would be better necessarily. Only 1 ball to go around and sech.

I asked a what if.. calm your tits.

 

[Mr. Friscus]

Maybe we need a thread about whether the Thunder should have taken KD with the 2nd pick that year.

If you have a player who might have been a better player compared to him, but uncertain fit, go ahead.