Ranking Ramon Sessions and Kobe Bryant's Best Point Guards

Since being acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers on the March 15th deadline, Ramon Sessions has been outstanding.

He shoots over 50 percent from the field, scores 13 PPG and dishes out seven APG—great numbers.

Sessions hasn’t been the only productive point guard in the Bryant era—there are actually quite a few.

And by a few, I really mean just a few.

Since entering the NBA, Kobe Bryant has played alongside 19 point guards, some starters and some bench players.

While some have been really good, some have been rather unproductive, to put it nicely.

So, without further ado, here’s a ranking of the best point guards that Bryant has played with.

Note: For each point guard, I evaluated how they produced while they played with the Lakers during the Bryant era—I didn’t consider their entire career.  

19. Aaron McKie

Combo guard Aaron McKie spent his last two seasons in the NBA with the Lakers.

Needless to say, he didn’t produce much.

In a total of 24 games, McKie averaged 1.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.1 APG.

He didn’t contribute much to wins at all, either—his win share with the Lakers was 0.1.

By looking at those statistics alone, it’s pretty easy to tell that McKie was the most unproductive point guard Kobe Bryant ever played with. 

18. Jannero Pargo

Jannero Pargo went undrafted but signed with the Lakers in 2002.

He went on to spend his rookie and sophomore seasons with the team.

The former Razorback only played in 47 games with the team, and averaged 1.8 PPG.

Also, like McKie, his win share was a very low 0.1

He was released by the Lakers in 2004. 

17. Shammond Williams

Also known as the “Schoolboy,” Shammond Williams spent the last season of his career with the Lakers.

He only played 30 games and scored 3.1 PPG.

However, he was good from behind the arc, converting on 20 of his 50 attempts. 

16. Tierre Brown

Tierre Brown played in 76 games for the Lakers in the 2004-05 season.

The 2004 D-League Player of the Year dished out two APG and scored 4.4 PPG in his sole season. 

15. Mike Penberthy

Who is Mike Penberthy?

The 6’3” point guard was an outstanding player at The Master’s College where he averaged 27.5 PPG in his senior season.

Unfortunately for Penberthy, that kind of production didn’t carry over to the NBA.

Penberthy spent his only two NBA seasons with the Lakers.

He wasn’t too bad in his rookie season, scoring five PPG on 40 percent shooting from the behind the three-point arc in 53 games—his win share was 1.6.

However, in his second and last season, he played in only three games before being released by the team in November 2001.

Penberthy currently plays for the Los Angeles Slam of the ABA. 

14. Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue was drafted 23rd overall by the Denver Nuggets but swiftly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Nick Van Exel, a former Laker point guard who will featured later in the list.

Lue played for the Lakers for three seasons, and he was a part of two title teams.

However, he only played in only 61 games, averaging 4.8 PPG and 1.7 APG.

He was a pretty good three-point shooter, hitting on 38 percent of his attempts.

Currently, Lue is an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics.

13. Lindsey Hunter

Lindsey Hunter played for the Lakers in the 2001-02 season.

He played in all 82 games and started 47 of them.

Hunter wasn’t known for his offense—he scored only five PPG but shot an above-average 38 percent from the three-point line.

Hunter was mostly known for his defense, and he played well defensively for the Lakers.

Although he was a part of the 2002 championship team, he didn’t contribute much in the playoffs, scoring only two PPG on 30 percent shooting.  

12. Steve Blake

Although Steve Blake played well for the Portland Trail Blazers, he hasn’t met expectations in the past two seasons with the Lakers.

So far, he has averaged 4.5 PPG and 2.7 APG on very poor shooting—he has shot under 40 percent from the field in the past two seasons.

Blake could be higher on the list, but his win share is only 0.9—clearly, he hasn’t contributed much to the Lakers in terms of wins. 

11. Derek Harper

Derek Harper was a very good player for the Dallas Mavericks, and he spent his last season with the Lakers in 1998-99.

In 45 games, he averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.2 APG and shot 37 percent from the three-point line—not bad for a 37-year-old who played in limited minutes. 

10. Brian Shaw

Brian Shaw played his last four seasons in the NBA for the Lakers.

Although Shaw played multiple positions because he was 6’6”, he was primarily used as a point guard.

In his four seasons, he averaged four PPG and and 2.2 APG.

Shaw was a part of three Lakers championship teams, though he wasn’t a huge contributor.

Although Shaw could be lower on this list, the reason he is here is because he was so well-respected by his teammates—in fact, Shaquille O’Neal stated that Shaw is the teammate he respected most in his career.

In addition, Shaw served as an example of pure professionalism, a trait that can’t go unnoticed.

He is now an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers.

9. Jordan Farmar

Jordan Farmar was drafted by the Lakers in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft.

He went on to spend four seasons with the team, and he played pretty well.

He averaged 6.8 PPG and 2.1 APG off the bench and was a part of two championship teams. 

8. Shannon Brown

Shannon Brown spent three seasons with the Lakers before moving on to the Phoenix Suns.

In his three seasons, he averaged 6.7 PPG and 1.0 APG.

What was most impressive about Brown was his athleticism—he didn’t care what was in his way, he was willing to jump over anyone.

Like Farmar, Brown was a part of two championship teams.

While Brown and Farmar had very similar impacts on the Lakers team, Brown has the slight edge because he was a more efficient player—Brown’s PER was 13.6 compared to Farmar’s 12.1. 

7. Ron Harper

Ron Harper played the last two seasons of his career with the Lakers.

Following a successful run with the Chicago Bulls, the 6’6” guard/forward signed with the Lakers in 1999.

As the team’s starting point guard, Harper averaged 6.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 3.9 RPG.

Harper was mostly known for his defensive prowess, however—he had the ability of locking down opposing point guards, shooting guards, and even some small forwards.

With Harper’s help, the Lakers won titles in 2000 and 2001.  

However, he wasn’t a major part of the 2001 title run because he played in only six playoff games. 

6. Smush Parker

Smush Parker was the starting point guard of the Lakers for two seasons and he averaged 11.3 PPG and 3.3 APG and a respectable 36.6 percent from the three-point line.

His win share was 4.1.

While Parker didn’t have a very high basketball IQ and he made Bryant very mad at times, the numbers show that he was more productive than many of the point guards that Bryant played with in his career.

Parker has been out of the NBA for some time, and he has gained a lot of weight. 

5. Chucky Atkins

Chucky Atkins had one very solid season with the Lakers in 2004-05 (the season we all wanna forget).

While the team wasn’t too great, Atkins averaged 13.6 PPG and 4.4 APG while shooting 39 percent from the three-point line.

His win share was 4.5, which the most out of all the players on the list so far. 

4. Ramon Sessions

Ramon Sessions has been great for the Lakers so far—he has a PER of 22 and is currently averaging 13.5 PPG and seven APG.

He uses his quickness to get to the basket, and he also has a very reliable jump shot.

Sessions could be much higher on the list, but he hasn’t proved enough yet.

As of April 12th, he has only played 16 games for the team.

Sessions is a very good, young player, and I expect him to only get better and, in the process, move up on this list. 

3. Gary Payton

Gary Payton joined the Lakers for the 2003-04 season to try to win a title.

At the old age of 35, he played in all 82 games—he averaged 14.6 PPG, 5.5 APG and 4.2 RPG.

In addition, “The Glove” honed his defensive skills while with the Lakers.

However, he was somewhat of a distraction in the locker room.

Despite this, during a tumultuous Lakers season, Payton played a pretty big role in helping the team reach the NBA Finals.  

2. Nick Van Exel

Nick Van Exel played with Bryant in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

Van Exel was very fun to watch, and he averaged 14.6 PPG and 7.7 APG in the two seasons he played with Bryant.

As the starting point guard, Van Exel helped the Lakers win 56 games in 96-97 and a very impressive 61 wins in 97-98.

Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1998 to make more room for Bryant, but his flashy play will not go unnoticed. 

1. Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher may not be as skilled as a few of the players on the list, but he has been such a big part of the Lakers’ success.

Although his stats don’t reflect greatness, he played alongside Bryant for all five of his championships.

In addition, he had huge moments in the playoffs that the other point guards on the list haven’t had.

Some of these moments include his game-winner against the Spurs with 0.4 seconds left and the one-man comeback he put on against the Celtics in Game 3 of the 2010 Finals.

That’s why it’s sad to see him in a Thunder jersey—he was a true, unforgettable winner for the Lakers.