When a team picks a player with the no. 1 overall pick, it should be justified by being a star-level talent. It has been the expectation for the top pick ever since the NBA started. Some inferred multiple first overall players within the same roster could lead to some chemistry issues.
That was not an issue with the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers because they had four #1 picks during the Showtime. LA picked Earvin “Magic” Johnson first in the 1979 Draft and James Worthy in the 1982 Draft. They scooped up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mychal Thompson in trades. Thompson has spoken about how the team balanced that, especially since they all had high standards for top picks.
“Well, playing with those three Hall of Famers took my game to another level. It showed me and taught me what Championship basketball and being a professional at the highest level was all about,” Thompson said to SLAM. “They were strictly professionals, and the only thing that mattered to them was winning. Not who was getting the most attention or most money. They knew that winning trumped everything else.”
The Lakers kept making it work
Thompson made a great point about the Lakers because other #1 picks might have had issues playing with each other. Fortunately for the Lakers, most of the four #1 selections were mild-mannered and accepting of playing a role in a system.
Magic was among the most unselfish players of all time, as evidenced by his reputation as an elite playmaker. The same could be said for Kareem, who was always the superstar scorer. Still, he had no issues playing with other stars because he wanted more championships apart from his early Milwaukee days.
James Worthy was also a perfect fit for the team because he was not a ball-dominant wing but could do everything. He was Magic’s primary partner in the Showtime play style, as he also loved playing in transition. Kareem loved watching Worthy because opponents got frustrated when they played against him.
Thompson accepted being a role player with the Lakers but was useful in how he hustled for the ball and scored. He was a perfect glue guy for the Lakers, who needed him for balance in the frontcourt.
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Those Lakers teams were a good example to follow
Balancing egos can be easy when you have players like Magic, Kareem, and James. However, this should be a lesson for talented teams to find the right dynamic between the players they draft. Getting the first overall pick in 1982 was a big achievement for the Lakers because they got their small forward of the future with Worthy.
However, they ensured he fit alongside the other team stars, Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. It was a masterstroke of a pick because while Terry Cummings or Dominique Wilkins might have been good fits, they were not the optimal fit like Big Game James.
Modern teams should recognize that balancing stockpiling talent and building chemistry can be tough. Nonetheless, there are plenty of positives to having that dynamic, like the Lakers did in the ‘80s.
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