Lamar Odom, Small/Power Forward
Lamar Odom would have been an incredibly successful player in any era.
A long 6’10” forward who could handle the ball like a point guard and block shots like a center is a once in a generation talent.
Lamar Odom may have been the original “unicorn” that the NBA community have so fondly used to describe the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Most NBA fans, particularly of the casual nature will consider Odom to be more of a Lakers legend than their cross-town rivals. But, Odom was drafted by the Clippers in 1999 and had his best statistical seasons in terms of scoring and assists with the team (17.2 and 5.9 respectively)
Although Lamar Odom was named the 2011 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and won two titles back-to-back with the purple and gold, he always seemed to remain somewhat underrated around the league.
Throughout his entire career, Odom was as unselfish a teammate as any. His ability to make plays and otherworldly basketball IQ made him the perfect complimentary piece to fit any style. Particularly that of a Kobe Bryant lead championship team.
Odom, who played mostly at power forward throughout his career, was the perfect example of true basketball being a position-less sport. A player of his size being able to block a shot, grab the rebound and drive the ball up the floor. Then have the choice to either pull up from beyond the arc, cut through the defense for a dunk or make a precision pass to a runner made him truly unique.
Lamar Odom’s NBA career will always be one of the big “what if” situations, after the triple-double machine struggled with various off-court issues.