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The greatest Los Angeles Lakers leaders in franchise history

By ANTHONY BISCIELLO

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Los Angeles Lakers legends Ervin Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shake hands with Jerry West as he speaks at the ceremony for the unveiling of a bronze statue for Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor at Staples Center on April 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Los Angeles Lakers legends Ervin Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shake hands with Jerry West as he speaks at the ceremony for the unveiling of a bronze statue for Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor at Staples Center on April 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Elgin Baylor

After George Mikan had retired, the Lakers had gone a few years without a legit leader. The team needed someone to come in and take on the presence of a leader and become the focal point. Who better to do so than the great Elgin Baylor?

In 1958-59 Baylor came into the league and quickly established himself as a legit threat to opposing teams. Standing at only six foot five inches tall, many would have thought that by those numbers, he would have been just another tall guard but that was not the case. Baylor would not only be a scoring threat but a rebounding one as well which for at the time was very strange because of his height.

In today’s game, of course, this would seem a bit more normal but still would stand out. In his rookie season, Baylor averaged 24.9 points per game and 15.0 rebounds. He went on to win not only rookie of the year but also the most valuable player in the league. By this time, the league was now called the NBA and the Lakers were still in Minneapolis but things surely had changed for the team as they now has a new leader to become the face of the franchise.

Baylor led the Lakers to the NBA Finals in his rookie year where they would lose to the Boston Celtics. The Lakers were still building however and that next season they got even younger. The team drafted rookie Rudy LaRusso and had young players such as Hot Rod Hundley and veterans Franks Selvy and Dick Garmaker. Elgin Baylor would go on to be one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of the greatest of all Lakers players.

The Lakers would draft the great Jerry West of course in 1960-61 which was the same season that the team had moved to Los Angeles. That being said, the team was still led by Baylor as he was the new sheriff in town. He would shake the league up a few years after he came into the league as he averaged 34.8 points per game and 19.8 rebounds per game in 1960-61. The next season, he would average 38.3 points per game and 18.6 rebounds. Elgin Baylor was an absolute machine.

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