Top 10 Lakers Draft Picks of All-Time

4.  Elgin Baylor

With George Mikan, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain dominating the early years of NBA basketball, Baylor was truly one of the first superstars at the wing position.  Baylor was also one of the first true scorers the NBA ever saw.  Although Chamberlain was the ultimate stat-sheet stuffer, Baylor was not far behind:

*stats from basketball-reference.com

The Lakers received the number one overall pick in 1958 after going 19-53 the previous season.  Baylor brought the league’s worst team to the Finals in his rookie year, only to lose to Boston in four games.  In the 1962 playoffs, Baylor set a Finals record for points in a single game, with 61 against the Boston Celtics.  Baylor lost the the Boston Celtics in the Finals seven times throughout his career.

Baylor’s final year lasted only nine games because of knee problems, and later that year the Lakers went on to win the NBA Finals.