“I would take Bill Russell” - Elgin Baylor on why he would build a franchise around Bill Russell over any other player

Bill Russell remains one of the most respected names in basketball because of what he did during his illustrious NBA career. He is the most accomplished NBA player with 11 championships, which he won with the Boston Celtics.

As the runner-up for most of those NBA Finals, former Los Angeles Lakers star Elgin Baylor profoundly respected Bill. When asked which player he would love to build a franchise around, Baylor had an easy answer with Russell.

“ If you wanna build a team and you take one player, I would take Bill Russell. I think 11 of the 12 years they won a championship… When they think about it, Bill Russell can’t shoot a jump shot,” Baylor said in a Q&A session with the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The intangible things, like hey you can’t score against him because he can block every shot and get the rebound.”

Russell was a defensive cornerstone for Boston

Russell was a dominant force on defense because of his length and natural defensive abilities. He stood at 6’10” but had a wingspan of 7’4”. That made Russell cover the entire paint, making the Celtics more aggressive with their perimeter defense.

Besides his physical traits, Bill was a skilled defender, which another NBA legend, Jerry West, experienced firsthand . He knew he had to be light on his feet to get blocks, and he had the defensive mentality to be the focal point of the team’s defense. He led the team to 11 championships on the power of his defense and rebounding.

An impenetrable defense is significant for any team that aims to win titles. The team might struggle to score sometimes, but it is best to have a defense that could prevent the opponent from scoring. Russell provided that defensive ability because he had the intangibles with his relentless rebounding and energy.

Bill was also a natural winner and knew what was needed to win championships. That kind of intangible is significant when building a team. He was the primary reason behind Baylor’s lack of trophies because if Russell had not played on that Celtics team, Elgin would have been a multiple-time champion.

Russell was a fantastic teammate

Bill was a defensive phenom but was also one of the best teammates for the Celtics roster. He was an unselfish player who wanted what was best for his team. Russell let them shine and did not mind sacrificing his offensive output to help them. Players like Bob Cousy and John Havlicek blossomed because of their talents and Russell’s unselfishness.

Russell considered himself superb on offense , but knowing the rest of the team would benefit from opportunities made him change his tune. He focused on being a defender and rebounder, but he would take charge when needed. Baylor is correct for picking him because Bill has everything you need in a franchise cornerstone.

Related: "You view your career from what it is, not what it might have been" - Bill Russell on if he would've seen himself as a failure had he been in Jerry West's position