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#67 James Worthy


MVPs: 0. Finals MVPs: 1. All-NBA 1st Team: 0. 2nd Team: 0. 3rd Team: 2. All Star: 7. MVP: 0.

Defensive POY: 0. All-Defense Teams: 0.

Career Averages: 18 PPG/ 5 RPG/ 3 APG/ 1.1 SPG/ .7 BPG/ .525 eFG%/ .769 FT%.

Best Season: 21/ 6/ 4/ 1.2/ .6/ .554/ .782 (1989-90).

Postseason Averages: 21 PPG/ 5 RPG/ 3 APG/ 1.2 SPG/ .7 BPG/ .547 eFG%/ .727 FT%.

Best Postseason: 25/ 6/ 3/ 1.2/ 1.1/ .572/ .788 (1989).

Championships: 3 (#2 player on 1, #3 player on 2). Runner-ups: 3 (#2 player on 2, #3 player on 1).


Why he's below Paul Pierce: He matched Pierce's Finals MVP and had a similar all-around game, but Worthy's career was a lot shorter. Worthy was also never the best player on his own team, while Pierce spent about half his career as the clear best player for the Celtics.


Why he's above the rest: Worthy was a perfect complementary player for the 80s Lakers. His athletic attacks on the basket and ability to defend opposing wings filled in the gaps in what Magic and Kareem were able to do. He earned his nickname "Big Game James" with playoff performances like his 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in game 7 of the 1988 Finals to outduel Isiah Thomas. He is 12th in career playoff eFG% among retired players. It's hard to guess how good Worthy's career would have been if he'd been the best player on his team, but being a top-3 player on 6 Finals teams gets him a spot in the top 70.



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