Beyond the Scoreboard: Bill Russell: The Best Defender in NBA History No One Talks About

If you ask a modern NBA fan about how great Bill Russell was they will say something like: “He played against plummers,” or “Austin Reaves would average 50 in that era, who cares”. People will routinely leave Russell out of their top 10 NBA players of all time and even put Wilt Chamberlain over him.

This disrespect for the greatest winner, best defender, and most impactful player on one side of the ball has to stop. The most important thing to note about Bill Russell is that he is by far the best defender of all time.

Russell was the most imposing rim protector for his 13-year career, projected to have averaged eight blocks a game for his career. His 7’4’’ wingspan and incredible timing along with world-class vertical ability propelled him to that success. He also is just such a fluid mover, quickly closing any gap in the defense that an opposing player is attacking, forcing them into a tough shot or resetting the offense. This great rim protection was the driving factor for the Celtics’ success in the 50s in 60’s in which they won 11 championships with Russell. One stat that shows just how impactful his defense was that during Russell’s career, the Celtics’ offense was ranked last in the NBA 3 times, not only did the Celtics win the championship, but they were also 1st in net rating all 3 years, which means their defense was so good that it offset their league-worst offense. In the years before and after Russell was on the Celtics, they were near the worst on defense, proving just how his sole presence transformed them into the league’s most formidable unit.

On top of being the best defender of all-time, Russell was still A-Plus on offense. Russell was a solid interior finisher with a good touch around the rim and an elite vertical threat at 6’9’’ with a 7’4’’ wingspan, but was not close to Wilt or other top scorers during the ’60s. He was also a fantastic playmaker, throwing quick and accurate outlet passes after getting rebounds, along with being able to find the open man consistently as a post playmaker leading to 4.3 assists per game, an astonishing high number for a center.

Russell is nowhere near the offensive engines that the other top 10 players were, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’neal, Larry Bird, etc… The difference is that he didn’t have to be a tier-one offensive engine to impact winning. Even today, the most efficient shots are within 6 feet and Russell completely takes that away from the opposing team, forcing the mid-range, in an era with less talented shooters (no 3-point line yet). Being a great rim protector was the most valuable thing in that era of basketball and he was leaps and bounds better than everyone else.

The results of his greatness speak for themselves: 11 rings in 13 years, 11 #1 defenses, and 5 MVPs. Repeatedly beating and outplaying the best players of that era, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor.

This cements Russell into a tier of him and Magic Johnson, with only Lebron, Jordan, and Kareem ahead of him on the NBA goat hierarchy.