Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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The 1952–53 Los Angeles Lakers were built around George Mikan’s dominant interior scoring and rebounding, with the Hall of Fame centre anchoring the team’s play at both ends of the floor. Vern Mikkelsen supplied valuable secondary scoring and strong work on the glass, while Slater Martin directed the offense as the primary playmaker. The Lakers relied on their veteran core, combining physical inside play, balanced rebounding, and efficient offensive execution.

Roster

No. Player Pos Height Weight Birthdate College
99 George Mikan C 6’10” 245 lbs June 18, 1924 DePaul
17 Jim Pollard F 6’4″ 185 lbs July 9, 1922 Stanford
20 Slater Martin G 5’10” 170 lbs Oct 22, 1925 Texas
19 Vern Mikkelsen F 6’7″ 230 lbs Oct 21, 1928 Hamline
12 Bob Harrison G 6’1″ 190 lbs Aug 12, 1927 Michigan
15 Whitey Skoog G 5’11” 180 lbs Nov 2, 1926 Minnesota
16 Lew Hitch F 6’8″ 200 lbs July 16, 1929 Kansas State
14 Don Carlson G 6’0″ 170 lbs Mar 22, 1919 Minnesota
10 Clyde Lovellette C 6’9″ 234 lbs Sept 7, 1929 Kansas

Regular Season Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TOV FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
George Mikan C 28 70 70 37.9 20.6 14.4 2.9 – – – 17.9 .399 – – 8.1 .780
Slater Martin PG 27 70 70 36.5 10.6 2.7 3.6 – – – 9.1 .410 – – 4.1 .780
Jim Pollard SF 30 66 66 36.4 13.0 6.8 3.5 – – – 14.1 .357 – – 3.8 .769
Vern Mikkelsen PF 24 70 70 35.2 15.0 9.3 2.1 – – – 12.4 .435 – – 5.5 .752
Pep Saul SG 28 70 70 25.7 7.4 2.0 1.6 – – – 6.7 .397 – – 2.9 .710
Bob Harrison SG 25 70 70 23.5 7.1 2.2 2.3 – – – 7.4 .376 – – 2.4 .648
Jim Holstein SF 22 66 66 15.0 4.0 2.6 1.1 – – – 4.2 .358 – – 1.6 .667
Lew Hitch PF 23 70 70 14.7 3.7 3.9 0.9 – – – 3.6 .349 – – 1.9 .610
Whitey Skoog SG 26 68 68 14.6 3.7 1.8 1.2 – – – 3.9 .386 – – 0.9 .754
Howie Schultz PF 30 40 40 11.9 2.3 2.0 0.7 – – – 2.3 .267 – – 1.6 .694
Team Totals – – 70 – 25.8 85.3 48.7 19.3 – – – 30.9 .390 – – 31.7 .739

Playoff Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TOV FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
George Mikan C 28 12 12 38.6 19.8 15.4 1.9 – – – 17.8 .366 – – 9.3 .732
Jim Pollard SF 30 12 12 37.9 14.3 7.2 4.1 – – – 13.9 .371 – – 5.2 .774
Slater Martin PG 27 12 12 37.8 10.1 2.6 3.6 – – – 8.6 .398 – – 4.3 .765
Vern Mikkelsen PF 24 12 12 33.3 12.0 8.7 2.0 – – – 11.1 .331 – – 5.5 .848
Pep Saul SG 28 12 12 24.8 7.2 2.3 1.5 – – – 6.2 .419 – – 2.8 .727
Whitey Skoog SG 26 11 11 18.0 5.8 2.1 1.2 – – – 5.1 .429 – – 1.8 .800
Bob Harrison SG 25 12 12 17.0 5.0 1.8 1.2 – – – 5.4 .385 – – 1.7 .500
Jim Holstein SF 22 12 12 16.0 4.3 2.5 0.9 – – – 3.5 .476 – – 1.9 .522
Lew Hitch PF 23 12 12 15.8 4.1 5.3 0.9 – – – 3.8 .348 – – 2.7 .531
Dick Schnittker – 24 7 7 4.1 1.3 0.6 0.0 – – – 1.1 .125 – – 1.6 .636
Team Totals – – 12 – 240.0 82.9 53.0 17.2 – – – 75.6 .377 – – 35.8 .723

Regular Season Totals

Player Pos Age G GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
George Mikan C 28 70 70 2651 1442 1007 201 – – – 1252 500 – – 567 442
Slater Martin PG 27 70 70 2556 744 186 250 – – – 634 260 – – 287 224
Vern Mikkelsen PF 24 70 70 2465 1047 654 148 – – – 868 378 – – 387 291
Jim Pollard SF 30 66 66 2403 859 452 231 – – – 933 333 – – 251 193
Pep Saul SG 28 70 70 1796 516 141 110 – – – 471 187 – – 200 142
Bob Harrison SG 25 70 70 1643 497 153 160 – – – 518 195 – – 165 107
Lew Hitch PF 23 70 70 1027 261 275 66 – – – 255 89 – – 136 83
Whitey Skoog SG 26 68 68 996 250 121 82 – – – 264 102 – – 61 46
Jim Holstein SF 22 66 66 989 266 173 74 – – – 274 98 – – 105 70
Howie Schultz PF 30 40 40 474 91 80 29 – – – 90 24 – – 62 43
Team Totals – – 70 – 17000 5973 3242 1351 – – – 5559 2166 – – 2221 1641

Playoff Totals

Player Pos Age G GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
George Mikan C 28 12 12 463 238 185 23 – – – 213 78 – – 112 82
Jim Pollard SF 30 12 12 455 172 86 49 – – – 167 62 – – 62 48
Slater Martin PG 27 12 12 453 121 31 43 – – – 103 41 – – 51 39
Vern Mikkelsen PF 24 12 12 400 144 104 24 – – – 133 44 – – 66 56
Pep Saul SG 28 12 12 297 86 28 18 – – – 74 31 – – 33 24
Bob Harrison SG 25 12 12 204 60 22 14 – – – 65 25 – – 20 10
Whitey Skoog SG 26 11 11 198 64 23 13 – – – 56 24 – – 20 16
Jim Holstein SF 22 12 12 192 52 30 11 – – – 42 20 – – 23 12
Lew Hitch PF 23 12 12 189 49 64 11 – – – 46 16 – – 32 17
Dick Schnittker – 24 7 7 29 9 4 0 – – – 8 1 – – 11 7
Team Totals – – 12 – 2880 995 577 206 – – – 907 342 – – 430 311

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK Impact Index* Notes
George Mikan Dominant Anchor 37.9 Very High 20.6 14.4 2.9 0 18.95 Central offensive and defensive presence; elite scoring and rebounding.
Slater Martin Primary Orchestrator 36.5 High 10.6 2.7 3.6 0 8.45 Lead ballhandler; controls pace and distribution.
Vern Mikkelsen Two-Way Enforcer 35.2 High 15.0 9.3 2.1 0 13.2 Strong rebounder and interior defender; secondary scoring option.
Jim Pollard Stretch Forward 36.4 High 13.0 6.8 3.5 0 11.65 Versatile wing; contributes scoring, rebounding, and playmaking.
Pep Saul Role Guard 25.7 Medium 7.4 2.0 1.6 0 5.5 Spot scorer and rotational minutes; complementary guard.
Bob Harrison Secondary Creator 23.5 Medium 7.1 2.2 2.3 0 5.8 Rotational guard; creates offense in limited minutes.
Jim Holstein Depth Forward 15.0 Low 4.0 2.6 1.1 0 3.85 Role player; developmental minutes.
Lew Hitch Backup Big 14.7 Low 3.7 3.9 0.9 0 4.25 Efficient rebounder in limited minutes; situational interior role.
Whitey Skoog Spot Guard 14.6 Low 3.7 1.8 1.2 0 3.35 Bench guard; minimal usage, occasional creation.
Howie Schultz Reserve Forward 11.9 Very Low 2.3 2.0 0.7 0 2.5 Played limited minutes; minor rotational impact.