It is rare for a rookie to have immediate success on the team level when entering the NBA. Plenty of all-time great players such as Jordan, LeBron, Shaq, Curry, and Durant failed to win a playoff series, or in some cases even reach the playoffs, within their first few seasons. Because of the rarity of rookie-led teams making it far in the playoffs, I wanted to take a deeper look at these kind of performances.
It is common for players to put up good numbers in 1st Round exits, so for this reason I only want to consider playoff runs in which rookies led their team to at least 1 playoff series win. For this reason, performances such as Jordan or Hakeem's in the 1985 Playoffs will not be considered.
First, we will begin with 8 Honorable Mentions, which will not be ranked in any particular order.
Honorable Mention 1 - Elgin Baylor, 1959 Lakers
 |
| Good quality rookie photo not available |
25.5 PPG - 12.0 RPG - 3.3 APG on 40% FG - 77% FT
Competition
Won 2-1 vs 28-44 Pistons in WDSF
Won 4-2 vs 49-23 Hawks in WDF
Lost 4-0 vs 52-20 Celtics in Finals
Baylor's numbers look fairly impressive at first glance, but he shot 32% and 33% from the field against the Pistons and Celtics in the WDSF and Finals, respectively. Shooting so poorly in 2 of 3 playoff series, one of which was against a team far below 0.500, was more than enough to exclude Elgin Baylor from the top 10 list.
Honorable Mention 2 - Jerry West, 1961 Lakers
1961 Playoff Statistics
22.9 PPG - 8.7 RPG - 5.3 APG on 49% FG - 73% FT
Competition
Won 3-2 vs 34-45 Pistons in WDSF
Lost 4-1 vs 51-28 Hawks in WDF
Jerry West had a solid statistical performance in the 1961 Playoffs of his rookie season. However, his Lakers defeated a poor 34-45 Pistons team in the WDSF before losing to the Hawks in the WDF. His statistical performance did not stand out enough to overlook the very easy competition he faced in his first playoff series.
Honorable Mention 3 - Maurice Cheeks, 1979 Sixers
1979 Playoff Statistics
18.8 PPG - 3.9 RPG - 7.0 APG - 4.1 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 55% FG - 66% FT
Competition
Won 2-0 vs 37-45 Nets in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 48-34 Spurs in ECSF
As a rookie, Mo Cheeks in 1979 averaged an all-time playoff record of 4.1 SPG, which remains the only post-1st Round playoff run in which anyone averaged at least 4 SPG. Two main points prevent Cheeks' run from being ranked any higher. Firstly, Julius Erving was the clear best player for the Sixers in the 1979 Playoffs, which means Cheeks was not mainly responsible for Philadelphia's playoff success. Secondly, Cheeks performed poorly on offense against a 37-45 Nets team in the 1st Round, putting up 13-3-5 on 35% in 2 games. Cheeks' 5 SPG in the 1st Round was the only good thing about his 1st Round performance. He did still play excellently against the Spurs in the ECSF and even had a game-winner to push the series to 7 games, but having such a poor performance against the 37-45 Nets could not be disregarded.
Honorable Mention 4 - Charles Barkley, 1985 Sixers
1985 Playoff Statistics
14.9 PPG - 11.1 RPG - 2.0 APG - 1.8 SPG - 1.2 BPG on 54% FG - 64% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 40-42 Bullets in 1st Round
Won 4-0 vs 59-23 Bucks in ECSF
Lost 4-1 vs 63-19 Celtics in ECF
Barkley came off the bench in the 1985 Playoffs and played well in his role. Despite having decent all-around statistics and facing good Bucks and Celtics teams in the ECSF and ECF, there wasn't anything that stood out enough from Barkley's performance to warrant a spot in the top 10. He was good, but not anything special.
Honorable Mention 5 - Mitch Richmond, 1989 Warriors
1989 Playoff Statistics
20.1 PPG - 7.3 RPG - 4.4 APG - 1.8 SPG - 0.1 BPG on 46% FG - 90% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 51-31 Jazz in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 55-27 Suns in WCSF
Richmond's 1989 Playoffs statistics were impressive for a rookie, but his WCSF performance against the Suns was poor. After having 26-8-6 on 58/25/90 in the 1st Round, Richmond fell to 17-7-3 on 39/17/89 in the WCSF against the Suns. Richmond's good stats were mostly due to 1 series, and the fact that the Warriors were Chris Mullin's team further weakens Richmond's case for a top 10 rookie playoff run.
Honorable Mention 6 - Dwyane Wade, 2004 Heat
2004 Playoff Statistics
18.0 PPG - 4.0 RPG - 5.6 APG - 1.3 SPG - 0.3 BPG on 46% FG - 79% FT
Competition
Won 4-3 vs 41-41 Hornets in 1st Round
Lost 4-2 vs 61-21 Pacers in ECSF
Dwyane Wade had an average performance in the 1st Round putting up 15-4-6 on 42% along with the game winner in Game 1. Although his 21-4-6 on 49% against the 61-21 Pacers was very good for a rookie, his Round 1 performance wasn't good enough to consider Wade's overall performance to be amongst the best rookie playoff runs of all-time.
Honorable Mention 7 - Ben Simmons, 2018 Sixers
2018 Playoff Statistics
16.3 PPG - 9.4 RPG - 7.7 APG - 1.7 SPG - 0.8 BPG on 49% FG - 71% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 44-38 Heat in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 55-27 Celtics in ECSF
Simmons's Sixers beat an average Heat team in the 1st Round and were then easily defeated by an injured Celtics team missing their two best players in Kyrie and Hayward. Simmons underperformed against the shorthanded Celtics, only putting up 14-8-6 on 48%, leading to a disappointing end to his rookie season.
Honorable Mention 8 - Donovan Mitchell, 2018 Jazz
2018 Playoff Statistics
24.4 PPG - 5.9 RPG - 4.2 APG - 1.5 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 42% FG - 91% FT
Competition
Won 4-2 vs 48-34 Thunder in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 65-17 Rockets in WCSF
Like Mitch Richmond in 1989, Mitchell had an excellent 1st Round series followed by a poor 2nd Round performance. Richmond went from 29-7-3 on 46% in the 1st Round against the Thunder to a poor 19-4-6 on 36% against Houston in the WCSF. This performance was far too poor to warrant a top 10 spot.
Now, we will look at the top 10 greatest playoff runs by rookies in NBA Playoff history.
These 10 runs will be ranked in order.
10 - Tom Burleson, 1975 Sonics
1975 Playoff Statistics
20.7 PPG - 10.7 RPG - 1.4 APG - 0.8 SPG - 2.0 BPG on 51% FG - 75% FT
Competition
Won 2-1 vs 40-42 Pistons in 1st Round
Lost 4-2 vs 48-34 Warriors in WCSF
Most of the honorable mentions listed above had only 1 good playoff series which was overshadowed by an unimpressive or poor statistical performance in another. In the cases of Jerry West and Charles Barkley, they did not have any bad statistical series, but their performances were not especially good enough to stand out, either. Tom Burleson performed well against both the Pistons and Warriors in his rookie season, essentially landing him the 10th spot by default. I cannot find many details on Burleson's 1975 Playoffs, leaving me with not much more than his statistics to judge by. Ultimately, facing an easy 40-42 Pistons team in the 1st Round is the main reason preventing Burleson's run from being ranked any higher, despite his good all-around statistics.
9 - Bill Russell, 1957 Celtics
1957 Playoff Statistics
13.9 PPG - 24.4 RPG - 3.2 APG on 37% FG - 51% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 38-34 Nationals in EDF
Won 4-3 vs 34-38 Hawks in Finals
The worst performance in terms of efficiency amongst these rookie playoff runs comes from Bill Russell. However, Russell is best known for his defense and rebounding, and those are what made Russell's rookie playoff run stand out. Defensively, the 1956 Celtics were the worst of 8 teams in the league, but that would change under Russell as he led Boston to the number 1 DRTG in all but 1 season (1968 - 2nd highest DRTG) of his career. Russell's inefficiency and the collective 0.500 record of his two playoff opponents are glaring weaknesses in his rookie playoff performance, but his defense was good enough to earn him a top 10 spot.
Rookie Bill Russell would shut down Dolph Schayes and Bob Pettit in consecutive series to lead the Celtics over the Nationals and Hawks, respectively. Schayes' shooting stats for the 1957 EDF alone are not available, but it is known that he shot 30.5% for the overall playoffs, with 3 of 5 games coming against Russell's Celtics. Schayes' also went from 22 RPG in the EDSF against the Warriors to getting outrebounded 28 to 15 by Russell in the EDF. Pettit would shoot 39% against Russell in the Finals as the Celtics won their first ever championship.
8 - Larry Bird, 1980 Celtics
1980 Playoff Statistics
21.3 PPG - 11.2 RPG - 4.7 APG - 1.6 SPG - 0.9 BPG on 47% FG - 88% FT
Competition
Won 4-0 vs 40-42 Rockets in ECSF
Lost 4-1 vs 59-23 Sixers in ECF
The 1979 Celtics were a 29-53 team before Larry Bird's arrival, but in his rookie season he led them to a huge turnaround resulting in a league-best 61-21 record. Bird's all-around playoff statistics were great, but only having to beat a 40-42 Rockets team to reach the ECF does somewhat diminish the quality of his performance. Bird did still perform well against the Sixers with 22-14-4 on 44% and 1.4 BPG. Rookie Bird's overall competition and offensive performance were both far superior than Russell's in his rookie playoff run, earning him a higher spot.
7 - Marques Johnson, 1978 Bucks
1978 Playoff Statistics
24.0 PPG - 12.4 RPG - 3.4 APG - 1.1 SPG - 1.9 BPG on 55% FG - 75% FT
Competition
Won 2-0 vs 49-33 Suns in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 48-34 Nuggets in WCSF
Marques Johnson is an underrated player, and his rookie season is good evidence of that. The 1977 Bucks were a 30-52 team prior to Johnson's arrival, after which he took them to a 44-38 record and led them to a close Game 7 of the WCSF, losing 116-110 to David Thompson's Nuggets. Johnson put up 22-16-4 with 4 blocks on 53% in that Game 7, but David Thompsons 37-6-6 with 5 blocks on 53% led Denver to the WCF.
Johnson's rookie playoff run was perhaps his best playoff year statistically, as he averaged his highest playoff RPG and BPG along with his 2nd-most PPG, 2nd-highest FG%, and 2nd-least TOpg. Johnson's playoffs statistics in his rookie year were slightly better than Bird's and he beat a better team to reach the 2nd Round, though Bird did lose to a better opponent in the Sixers rather than David Thompson's Nuggets.
6 - Tim Duncan, 1998 Spurs
1998 Playoff Statistics
20.7 PPG - 9.0 RPG - 1.9 APG - 0.6 SPG - 2.6 BPG on 52% FG - 67% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 56-26 Suns in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 62-20 Jazz in WCSF
Tim Duncan remains the only player to make both an All-NBA Team and an All-Defense Team in his rookie season, making the 1st and 2nd teams, respectively. With Robinson returning from injury the Spurs were in position to start building a dynasty around Tim Duncan. Duncan beat a good 56-26 Suns team in the 1st Round team before the Spurs fell to Stockton and Malone's Jazz in 5 games. Duncan's box score statistics may look slightly less impressive than Bird's or Johnson's but his competition and defense were superior, giving his rookie playoff run the edge over the latter two.
5 - David Robinson, 1990 Spurs
1990 Playoff Statistics
24.3 PPG - 12.0 RPG - 2.3 APG - 1.1 SPG - 4.0 BPG on 53% FG - 68% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 43-39 Nuggets in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 59-23 Blazers in WCSF
The Spurs had a massive roster overhaul for the 1990 season. Rod Strickland, Terry Cummings, Sean Elliott, and David Robinson were all new acquisitions for the team. With the help of this brand new roster, rookie David Robinson led the Spurs to a 35-win improvement from the Spurs 21-61 record the previous year. The Spurs under Robinson would take the Blazers to 7 games in the WCSF, but would ultimately lose in an Overtime Game 7, the first since the 1962 NBA Finals.
Robinson remains the only rookie to have a post-1st Round playoff run of 3.5+ BPG, and he averaged exactly 4 BPG. Robinson did have a better supporting cast in the 1990 Playoffs compared to Duncan in 1998, as Willie Anderson and Terry Cummings averaged 20 PPG and 25 PPG. Nevertheless, rookie David Robinson's overall playoff performance was still superior as he outperformed rookie Duncan in each of the 5 main categories as well as in FG% and FT%, earning him a spot in the top 5.
4 - Alonzo Mourning, 1993 Hornets
1993 Playoff Statistics
23.8 PPG - 9.9 RPG - 1.4 APG - 0.7 SPG - 3.4 BPG on 48% FG - 77% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 48-34 Celtics in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 60-22 Knicks in ECSF
In his rookie year, Alonzo Mourning averaged his personal best PPG and BPG for his playoff career. 1993 was the first playoff appearance for the expansion Hornets, with Alonzo turning them from a 31-51 team into a decent 44-38 playoff team. Despite the Celtics having homecourt advantage and 6 players averaging double figures for the series, Alonzo led Charlotte to 3 consecutive wins and a series-winner at the buzzer in Game 4. The 60-win Knicks proved too much to handle for the Hornets, though Alonzo still had a good series with averages of 24-10-2-1-3 on 45%.
Robinson's playoff performance in his rookie season was statistically superior to Alonzo's, but Alonzo did not have near the offensive help that Robinson did and faced slightly better opponents. Duncan had lesser statistics in his rookie playoff run compared to Alonzo and also had David Robinson himself to help anchor the Spurs' defense. For these reasons I believe Mourning's rookie playoff run was slightly more impressive than the latter two.
3 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1970 Bucks
1970 Playoff Statistics
35.2 PPG - 16.8 RPG - 4.1 APG on 57% FG - 73% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 42-40 Sixers in EDSF
Lost 4-1 vs 60-22 Knicks in EDF
Although the 1970s was the weakest post-infancy decade of the NBA, one cannot deny that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, had one of the best rookie playoff runs of all-time. The expansion Bucks were in their second year when Kareem led them to a 29-win increase and an EDF appearance. The Bucks cruised past an easy 42-40 Sixers team before losing the the eventual champion Knicks in the EDF, led by Willis Reed. Although Kareem had an easy road to the EDF in only having to beat a 42-40 team to get there, his incredible statistical performance alone warrants a top 3 spot amongst the best rookie playoff runs of all-time.
2 - Wilt Chamberlain, 1960 Warriors
1960 Playoff Statistics
33.2 PPG - 25.8 RPG - 2.1 APG on 50% FG - 45% FT
Competition
Won 2-1 vs 45-30 Nationals in EDSF
Lost 4-2 vs 59-16 Celtics in EDF
Wilt Chamberlain is one of only two players to win the MVP in his rookie season, the other being Wes Unseld in 1969. The Warriors improved by 17 wins in Wilt's rookie season and took Russell's Celtic dynasty to 6 games in the EDF. The only area in which Wilt struggled during the 1960 Playoffs was from the free throw line, but he was incredibly dominant in scoring and rebounding, regardless. Wilt had a better statistical performance than Kareem in 1970 while facing better teams in the EDSF and EDF, earning him the 2nd-greatest rookie playoff run.
1 - Magic Johnson, 1980 Lakers
 |
| Good quality rookie photo not available |
22.9 PPG - 8.7 RPG - 5.3 APG on 49% FG - 73% FT
Competition
Won 3-2 vs 34-45 Pistons in WDSF
Lost 4-1 vs 51-28 Hawks in WDF
Jerry West had a solid statistical performance in the 1961 Playoffs of his rookie season. However, his Lakers defeated a poor 34-45 Pistons team in the WDSF before losing to the Hawks in the WDF. His statistical performance did not stand out enough to overlook the very easy competition he faced in his first playoff series.
Honorable Mention 3 - Maurice Cheeks, 1979 Sixers
 |
| Good quality rookie photo not available |
18.8 PPG - 3.9 RPG - 7.0 APG - 4.1 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 55% FG - 66% FT
Competition
Won 2-0 vs 37-45 Nets in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 48-34 Spurs in ECSF
As a rookie, Mo Cheeks in 1979 averaged an all-time playoff record of 4.1 SPG, which remains the only post-1st Round playoff run in which anyone averaged at least 4 SPG. Two main points prevent Cheeks' run from being ranked any higher. Firstly, Julius Erving was the clear best player for the Sixers in the 1979 Playoffs, which means Cheeks was not mainly responsible for Philadelphia's playoff success. Secondly, Cheeks performed poorly on offense against a 37-45 Nets team in the 1st Round, putting up 13-3-5 on 35% in 2 games. Cheeks' 5 SPG in the 1st Round was the only good thing about his 1st Round performance. He did still play excellently against the Spurs in the ECSF and even had a game-winner to push the series to 7 games, but having such a poor performance against the 37-45 Nets could not be disregarded.
Honorable Mention 4 - Charles Barkley, 1985 Sixers
 |
| Game 1 of 1985 ECF |
14.9 PPG - 11.1 RPG - 2.0 APG - 1.8 SPG - 1.2 BPG on 54% FG - 64% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 40-42 Bullets in 1st Round
Won 4-0 vs 59-23 Bucks in ECSF
Lost 4-1 vs 63-19 Celtics in ECF
Barkley came off the bench in the 1985 Playoffs and played well in his role. Despite having decent all-around statistics and facing good Bucks and Celtics teams in the ECSF and ECF, there wasn't anything that stood out enough from Barkley's performance to warrant a spot in the top 10. He was good, but not anything special.
Honorable Mention 5 - Mitch Richmond, 1989 Warriors
 |
| Unsure if photo is from rookie year |
20.1 PPG - 7.3 RPG - 4.4 APG - 1.8 SPG - 0.1 BPG on 46% FG - 90% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 51-31 Jazz in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 55-27 Suns in WCSF
Richmond's 1989 Playoffs statistics were impressive for a rookie, but his WCSF performance against the Suns was poor. After having 26-8-6 on 58/25/90 in the 1st Round, Richmond fell to 17-7-3 on 39/17/89 in the WCSF against the Suns. Richmond's good stats were mostly due to 1 series, and the fact that the Warriors were Chris Mullin's team further weakens Richmond's case for a top 10 rookie playoff run.
Honorable Mention 6 - Dwyane Wade, 2004 Heat
 |
| 2004 Playoffs 1st Round |
18.0 PPG - 4.0 RPG - 5.6 APG - 1.3 SPG - 0.3 BPG on 46% FG - 79% FT
Competition
Won 4-3 vs 41-41 Hornets in 1st Round
Lost 4-2 vs 61-21 Pacers in ECSF
Dwyane Wade had an average performance in the 1st Round putting up 15-4-6 on 42% along with the game winner in Game 1. Although his 21-4-6 on 49% against the 61-21 Pacers was very good for a rookie, his Round 1 performance wasn't good enough to consider Wade's overall performance to be amongst the best rookie playoff runs of all-time.
Honorable Mention 7 - Ben Simmons, 2018 Sixers
 |
| 2018 Playoffs 1st Round |
16.3 PPG - 9.4 RPG - 7.7 APG - 1.7 SPG - 0.8 BPG on 49% FG - 71% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 44-38 Heat in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 55-27 Celtics in ECSF
Simmons's Sixers beat an average Heat team in the 1st Round and were then easily defeated by an injured Celtics team missing their two best players in Kyrie and Hayward. Simmons underperformed against the shorthanded Celtics, only putting up 14-8-6 on 48%, leading to a disappointing end to his rookie season.
Honorable Mention 8 - Donovan Mitchell, 2018 Jazz
 |
| 2018 Playoffs 1st Round |
24.4 PPG - 5.9 RPG - 4.2 APG - 1.5 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 42% FG - 91% FT
Competition
Won 4-2 vs 48-34 Thunder in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 65-17 Rockets in WCSF
Like Mitch Richmond in 1989, Mitchell had an excellent 1st Round series followed by a poor 2nd Round performance. Richmond went from 29-7-3 on 46% in the 1st Round against the Thunder to a poor 19-4-6 on 36% against Houston in the WCSF. This performance was far too poor to warrant a top 10 spot.
Now, we will look at the top 10 greatest playoff runs by rookies in NBA Playoff history.
These 10 runs will be ranked in order.
10 - Tom Burleson, 1975 Sonics
 |
| Unsure if photo is from rookie year |
20.7 PPG - 10.7 RPG - 1.4 APG - 0.8 SPG - 2.0 BPG on 51% FG - 75% FT
Competition
Won 2-1 vs 40-42 Pistons in 1st Round
Lost 4-2 vs 48-34 Warriors in WCSF
Most of the honorable mentions listed above had only 1 good playoff series which was overshadowed by an unimpressive or poor statistical performance in another. In the cases of Jerry West and Charles Barkley, they did not have any bad statistical series, but their performances were not especially good enough to stand out, either. Tom Burleson performed well against both the Pistons and Warriors in his rookie season, essentially landing him the 10th spot by default. I cannot find many details on Burleson's 1975 Playoffs, leaving me with not much more than his statistics to judge by. Ultimately, facing an easy 40-42 Pistons team in the 1st Round is the main reason preventing Burleson's run from being ranked any higher, despite his good all-around statistics.
9 - Bill Russell, 1957 Celtics
 |
| December 19, 1956 |
13.9 PPG - 24.4 RPG - 3.2 APG on 37% FG - 51% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 38-34 Nationals in EDF
Won 4-3 vs 34-38 Hawks in Finals
The worst performance in terms of efficiency amongst these rookie playoff runs comes from Bill Russell. However, Russell is best known for his defense and rebounding, and those are what made Russell's rookie playoff run stand out. Defensively, the 1956 Celtics were the worst of 8 teams in the league, but that would change under Russell as he led Boston to the number 1 DRTG in all but 1 season (1968 - 2nd highest DRTG) of his career. Russell's inefficiency and the collective 0.500 record of his two playoff opponents are glaring weaknesses in his rookie playoff performance, but his defense was good enough to earn him a top 10 spot.
Rookie Bill Russell would shut down Dolph Schayes and Bob Pettit in consecutive series to lead the Celtics over the Nationals and Hawks, respectively. Schayes' shooting stats for the 1957 EDF alone are not available, but it is known that he shot 30.5% for the overall playoffs, with 3 of 5 games coming against Russell's Celtics. Schayes' also went from 22 RPG in the EDSF against the Warriors to getting outrebounded 28 to 15 by Russell in the EDF. Pettit would shoot 39% against Russell in the Finals as the Celtics won their first ever championship.
8 - Larry Bird, 1980 Celtics
1980 Playoff Statistics
21.3 PPG - 11.2 RPG - 4.7 APG - 1.6 SPG - 0.9 BPG on 47% FG - 88% FT
Competition
Won 4-0 vs 40-42 Rockets in ECSF
Lost 4-1 vs 59-23 Sixers in ECF
The 1979 Celtics were a 29-53 team before Larry Bird's arrival, but in his rookie season he led them to a huge turnaround resulting in a league-best 61-21 record. Bird's all-around playoff statistics were great, but only having to beat a 40-42 Rockets team to reach the ECF does somewhat diminish the quality of his performance. Bird did still perform well against the Sixers with 22-14-4 on 44% and 1.4 BPG. Rookie Bird's overall competition and offensive performance were both far superior than Russell's in his rookie playoff run, earning him a higher spot.
7 - Marques Johnson, 1978 Bucks
 |
| Unsure if photo is from rookie year |
24.0 PPG - 12.4 RPG - 3.4 APG - 1.1 SPG - 1.9 BPG on 55% FG - 75% FT
Competition
Won 2-0 vs 49-33 Suns in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 48-34 Nuggets in WCSF
Marques Johnson is an underrated player, and his rookie season is good evidence of that. The 1977 Bucks were a 30-52 team prior to Johnson's arrival, after which he took them to a 44-38 record and led them to a close Game 7 of the WCSF, losing 116-110 to David Thompson's Nuggets. Johnson put up 22-16-4 with 4 blocks on 53% in that Game 7, but David Thompsons 37-6-6 with 5 blocks on 53% led Denver to the WCF.
Johnson's rookie playoff run was perhaps his best playoff year statistically, as he averaged his highest playoff RPG and BPG along with his 2nd-most PPG, 2nd-highest FG%, and 2nd-least TOpg. Johnson's playoffs statistics in his rookie year were slightly better than Bird's and he beat a better team to reach the 2nd Round, though Bird did lose to a better opponent in the Sixers rather than David Thompson's Nuggets.
6 - Tim Duncan, 1998 Spurs
 |
| 1998 Playoffs 1st Round |
20.7 PPG - 9.0 RPG - 1.9 APG - 0.6 SPG - 2.6 BPG on 52% FG - 67% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 56-26 Suns in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 62-20 Jazz in WCSF
Tim Duncan remains the only player to make both an All-NBA Team and an All-Defense Team in his rookie season, making the 1st and 2nd teams, respectively. With Robinson returning from injury the Spurs were in position to start building a dynasty around Tim Duncan. Duncan beat a good 56-26 Suns team in the 1st Round team before the Spurs fell to Stockton and Malone's Jazz in 5 games. Duncan's box score statistics may look slightly less impressive than Bird's or Johnson's but his competition and defense were superior, giving his rookie playoff run the edge over the latter two.
5 - David Robinson, 1990 Spurs
1990 Playoff Statistics
24.3 PPG - 12.0 RPG - 2.3 APG - 1.1 SPG - 4.0 BPG on 53% FG - 68% FT
Competition
Won 3-0 vs 43-39 Nuggets in 1st Round
Lost 4-3 vs 59-23 Blazers in WCSF
The Spurs had a massive roster overhaul for the 1990 season. Rod Strickland, Terry Cummings, Sean Elliott, and David Robinson were all new acquisitions for the team. With the help of this brand new roster, rookie David Robinson led the Spurs to a 35-win improvement from the Spurs 21-61 record the previous year. The Spurs under Robinson would take the Blazers to 7 games in the WCSF, but would ultimately lose in an Overtime Game 7, the first since the 1962 NBA Finals.
Robinson remains the only rookie to have a post-1st Round playoff run of 3.5+ BPG, and he averaged exactly 4 BPG. Robinson did have a better supporting cast in the 1990 Playoffs compared to Duncan in 1998, as Willie Anderson and Terry Cummings averaged 20 PPG and 25 PPG. Nevertheless, rookie David Robinson's overall playoff performance was still superior as he outperformed rookie Duncan in each of the 5 main categories as well as in FG% and FT%, earning him a spot in the top 5.
4 - Alonzo Mourning, 1993 Hornets
 |
| Game 4 of 1993 1st Round |
23.8 PPG - 9.9 RPG - 1.4 APG - 0.7 SPG - 3.4 BPG on 48% FG - 77% FT
Competition
Won 3-1 vs 48-34 Celtics in 1st Round
Lost 4-1 vs 60-22 Knicks in ECSF
In his rookie year, Alonzo Mourning averaged his personal best PPG and BPG for his playoff career. 1993 was the first playoff appearance for the expansion Hornets, with Alonzo turning them from a 31-51 team into a decent 44-38 playoff team. Despite the Celtics having homecourt advantage and 6 players averaging double figures for the series, Alonzo led Charlotte to 3 consecutive wins and a series-winner at the buzzer in Game 4. The 60-win Knicks proved too much to handle for the Hornets, though Alonzo still had a good series with averages of 24-10-2-1-3 on 45%.
Robinson's playoff performance in his rookie season was statistically superior to Alonzo's, but Alonzo did not have near the offensive help that Robinson did and faced slightly better opponents. Duncan had lesser statistics in his rookie playoff run compared to Alonzo and also had David Robinson himself to help anchor the Spurs' defense. For these reasons I believe Mourning's rookie playoff run was slightly more impressive than the latter two.
3 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1970 Bucks
1970 Playoff Statistics
35.2 PPG - 16.8 RPG - 4.1 APG on 57% FG - 73% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 42-40 Sixers in EDSF
Lost 4-1 vs 60-22 Knicks in EDF
Although the 1970s was the weakest post-infancy decade of the NBA, one cannot deny that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, had one of the best rookie playoff runs of all-time. The expansion Bucks were in their second year when Kareem led them to a 29-win increase and an EDF appearance. The Bucks cruised past an easy 42-40 Sixers team before losing the the eventual champion Knicks in the EDF, led by Willis Reed. Although Kareem had an easy road to the EDF in only having to beat a 42-40 team to get there, his incredible statistical performance alone warrants a top 3 spot amongst the best rookie playoff runs of all-time.
2 - Wilt Chamberlain, 1960 Warriors
 |
| January 19, 1960 |
33.2 PPG - 25.8 RPG - 2.1 APG on 50% FG - 45% FT
Competition
Won 2-1 vs 45-30 Nationals in EDSF
Lost 4-2 vs 59-16 Celtics in EDF
Wilt Chamberlain is one of only two players to win the MVP in his rookie season, the other being Wes Unseld in 1969. The Warriors improved by 17 wins in Wilt's rookie season and took Russell's Celtic dynasty to 6 games in the EDF. The only area in which Wilt struggled during the 1960 Playoffs was from the free throw line, but he was incredibly dominant in scoring and rebounding, regardless. Wilt had a better statistical performance than Kareem in 1970 while facing better teams in the EDSF and EDF, earning him the 2nd-greatest rookie playoff run.
1 - Magic Johnson, 1980 Lakers
 |
| Game 6 of 1980 NBA Finals |
1980 Playoff Statistics
18.3 PPG - 10.5 RPG - 9.4 APG - 3.1 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 52% FG - 80% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 55-27 Suns in WCSF
Won 4-1 vs 56-26 Sonics in WCF
Won 4-2 vs 59-23 Sixers in Finals
Magic Johnson is the only player who has led a championship team in his rookie season, being just 0.6 APG shy of averaging a playoff triple double. Magic also averaged over 3 SPG in his rookie playoffs, the only time any player has done so for more than 2 rounds. What makes Magic's near-triple double and 3.1 SPG playoff run even more impressive is the fact that he did it while leading the Lakers through one of the hardest roads to the title of any championship team.
Top 15 Highest Collective Win% of Playoff Opponents for Title Teams
Disregarding number of opponents played
(0.732) - 1973 Knicks (180-66) - 3 Rounds
(0.726) - 1995 Rockets (238-90) - 4 Rounds
(0.691) - 1980 Lakers (170-76) - 3 Rounds
(0.686) - 1997 Bulls (225-103) - 4 Rounds
(0.683) - 1972 Lakers (168-78) - 3 Rounds
Some may think that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the best Laker in 1980 when simply looking at the box score stats, but the truth is that Kareem and his statistics heavily benefited from Magic's (and Oscar Robertson's) playmaking. This key intangible is what elevates Magic's 1980 Playoffs to the greatest ever by a rookie in NBA history. Before the arrival of Magic Johnson to run the offense, Kareem's numbers were taking a big hit after Oscar Robertson's retirement.
18.3 PPG - 10.5 RPG - 9.4 APG - 3.1 SPG - 0.4 BPG on 52% FG - 80% FT
Competition
Won 4-1 vs 55-27 Suns in WCSF
Won 4-1 vs 56-26 Sonics in WCF
Won 4-2 vs 59-23 Sixers in Finals
Magic Johnson is the only player who has led a championship team in his rookie season, being just 0.6 APG shy of averaging a playoff triple double. Magic also averaged over 3 SPG in his rookie playoffs, the only time any player has done so for more than 2 rounds. What makes Magic's near-triple double and 3.1 SPG playoff run even more impressive is the fact that he did it while leading the Lakers through one of the hardest roads to the title of any championship team.
Top 15 Highest Collective Win% of Playoff Opponents for Title Teams
Disregarding number of opponents played
(0.732) - 1973 Knicks (180-66) - 3 Rounds
(0.726) - 1995 Rockets (238-90) - 4 Rounds
(0.691) - 1980 Lakers (170-76) - 3 Rounds
(0.686) - 1997 Bulls (225-103) - 4 Rounds
(0.683) - 1972 Lakers (168-78) - 3 Rounds
Some may think that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the best Laker in 1980 when simply looking at the box score stats, but the truth is that Kareem and his statistics heavily benefited from Magic's (and Oscar Robertson's) playmaking. This key intangible is what elevates Magic's 1980 Playoffs to the greatest ever by a rookie in NBA history. Before the arrival of Magic Johnson to run the offense, Kareem's numbers were taking a big hit after Oscar Robertson's retirement.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1971-1974 with Oscar
30.9 ppg on 56%
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1975-1979 post-Oscar pre-Magic
26.6 ppg on 55%
-4.3 ppg decrease
Every year from the 1975 to 1979 season, Kareem's scoring continually decreased without Oscar Robertson by his side. This was not because Kareem had passed his prime, since Kareem was 27-31 during those years. In 1980, when Magic Johnson became a Laker, Kareem's scoring finally increased again at age 32 and he shot the highest FG% of his career.
In the 1980, 1981, and 1982 seasons, Kareem had more PPG with Magic than in the 1979 season without Magic, despite his minutes continuing to decrease each of those years and being ages 32-34. Kareem's 3 highest and 5 of his 6 highest FG% seasons came with Magic Johnson despite being ages 32-37 in those years with Magic. This is quite clearly because of Magic's passing.
Excluding Kareem's last season at age 41,
Kareem's 3 worst FG% seasons were non-Oscar/Magic years
1976 - 53%
1970 - 52%
1975 - 51%
2 of which were prime seasons
Kareem beat 0 50+ win teams in 6 seasons, 5 of which were in his prime, without Magic or Oscar, further confirming that his teams would never have contended against good opponents without those two running the offense.
These statistics and facts with context clearly show that Kareem heavily depended on Magic and Oscar's passing to set him up. His best PPG and FG% years were with Oscar and Magic respectively, even when playing with Magic at ages 32-37. Yet Kareem's 3 worst FG% seasons, excluding his very last year at age 41, were in non-Magic/Oscar years, even when in his prime at age 27 and 28.
Magic proved that the Lakers were dependent on him, not Kareem, with perhaps the greatest single-game playoff performance by any rookie in NBA history in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals. With Kareem sitting out due to his ankle injury, Magic put up 42-15-7-3-1 on 61% FG - 100% FT while Kareem was sitting out due to his ankle injury.
SECTION 1 - Players From Jordan's Day Against 2000s Defenses
- Looking at how the Jordan Era players had an easier time in the modern era
SECTION 2 - How Washed-up Jordan Did Against the Top Defenders of the "Advanced, More Athletic, Superior" 2000s Era
- Looking at how a 38-40 year old Jordan himself schooled the 2000s defenders
SECTION 3 - Jordan's "Weak" Defensive Competition Compared to Lebron/Kobe's "Advanced" Competition
- Proving the vast superiority of individual defenders of Jordan's era compared to the 2000s
SECTION 4 - The "Jordan Never Faced Zone" Myth
- Destroying the myth that Jordan never played zone defense
SECTION 5 - The Myth That 80s/90s Defenses Can't Contain Modern Players Without the 80s/90s Rules
- Proof that 80s/90s players would still have success guarding 2000s players without the 80s/90s rules
SECTION 6 - The Myth of Jordan's Inability to Deal with 80s Teams, and the Truth About Expansion
- Looking at how Jordan did against the 80s teams and why expansion did not make it easier to win championships
SECTION 7 - "Jordan Played Weak Competition in the 80s/90s"
- Proof that Jordan's Competition was 80s-quality and far better than the 2000s era
SECTION 8 - The Myth that Jordan Was Not As Valuable to His Teams' Success
- Looking at the truth of how the Bulls did without Jordan, and how other great teams did without their stars.
SECTION 9 - "Jordan Got All the Calls"
- Did Jordan really get any more special treatment than other superstars? Nope.
SECTION 10 - Wilt Chamberlain: Great, but Far From the Greatest
- Exposing the myths behind the great, but misunderstood, Wilt Chamberlain
SECTION 11 - The "Lebron is a 6-8 250 Freight Train and too Big/Strong/Fast to be Guarded in the 80s/90s era" Myth
- Looking at how Lebron got locked down by defenders of the 2000s era and comparing them to the vastly superior 80s/90s
SECTION 12 - Lebron: The Most Overrated Defender of All-Time
- Destroying one of the media's biggest misconceptions regarding Lebron's solid but vastly overrated defense
SECTION 13 - "Lebron Doesn't Have Enough Help, and No One Can Carry a Team Like Him"
- Lebron fans think no player in history could succeed if their teammates don't step up, and that Lebron is the only one who has carried a team on his back. Is that really the case?
SECTION 14 - Jordan vs Lebron: The Truth
- The real Jordan vs Lebron comparison
SECTION 15 - Jordan vs Kobe: The Truth
- The real Jordan vs Kobe comparison
SECTION 16 - Jordan (and Hakeem) vs Kareem
- Kareem is great, but he is not even the greatest center of all-time, let alone the greatest of all-time.
SECTION 17 - The Truth about Michael Jordan Without Scottie Pippen
- The full context behind Jordan's struggles without Pippen
SECTION 18 - Michael Jordan's Wizards Years
- A look at how Jordan turned the Wizards around before his knee injury caught up to him
SECTION 19 - The Case for Jordan as the Best Perimeter Defender of All-Time
- Looking at Jordan's defensive impact in detail, both as a team player and 1 on 1 defender
SECTION 20 - Why Jordan Would Accomplish More In Cleveland and Miami than LeBron
- Looking at the strong evidence supporting that Jordan would have achieved more than what LeBron has in Cleveland and Miami
SECTION 21 - Hakeem Olajuwon: The Greatest Center of All-Time
- Hakeem Olajuwon is the best center of all-time, and there is strong evidence to prove it
SECTION 22 - Chris Paul: The Most Overrated Point Guard Of All-Time
- Chris Paul is an extremely overrated playoff performer and defender, and isn't even a top 5 PG of his own era, let alone all-time
SECTION 23 - Kevin Johnson: The Most Underrated Point Guard Of All-Time
- Kevin Johnson is an extremely underrated and under-appreciated point guard, who should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer and considered a top-10 point guard of all-time
SECTION 24 - The Three Greatest Playoff Runs of All-Time
- Analyzing the three greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history
SECTION 25 - The Worst Finals Performances of All-Time
- Analyzing the worst performances in NBA Finals history
SECTION 26 - Jordan vs Russell
- Comparing the two players who won the most championships as the best player on their team
SECTION 27 - The Five Greatest Coaches of All-Time
- Taking a look at the greatest coaches in NBA history
SECTION 28 - The Least Deserving Finals MVPs of All-Time
- Taking a look at the players who least deserved to win their Finals MVPs
SECTION 29 - Refuting 10 Myths About Michael Jordan
- Refuting certain myths about Jordan, as well as abridging of some of the main points in earlier sections for easier reference.
SECTION 30 - The 20 Greatest Conference Finals Runs of All-Time
- Ranking the 20 greatest playoff runs in which a player played 3 rounds before losing prior to the NBA Finals
SECTION 31 - The 1970s: The Weakest Decade of the NBA's Post-Infancy
- Why the 1970s was the weakest decade of any era from 1960-present
SECTION 32 - The 10 Worst Supporting Casts on NBA Finals Teams (1960-Present)
- Examining the worst supporting casts on teams that reached the NBA Finals
SECTION 33 - The 10 Greatest Rookie Playoff Runs of All-Time
- The most impressive playoff runs in which rookies led their team to at least one series win
Nice article. I thought that Donovan Mitchell should have been rookie of the year. He had a bigger impact for the Jazz than Simmons did for the Sixers. Plus, Simmons had Joel Embiid who is far better than Rudy Gobert. Also, I think that my man, Duncan had the best rookie season for the past 22 years.
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent analysis but I don't understand the continued disrespect for Kareem. Of course he benefited from playing with great PGs, who wouldn't? But Oscar was way past his prime by the early 70's and was a non-factor in the '74 Finals when Kareem took a weak supporting cast (which was missing Lucious Allen) to within 1 game of an NBA championship. Kareem possessed the greatest weapon in the history of the game and compiled the longest run of sustained excellence.
ReplyDeleteI wish you had a Twitter or the like. It would make it a lot easier to follow you and spread your word.
ReplyDeleteIt's like nobody else has the attention span to read you when I tell people about the defense-destroying rule changes.
Pretty sure you used to have Facebook, though. Someone showed me this and claimed it was from that page. https://i.imgur.com/CKZblOp.png
Please, never take this blog down. It's too valuable.
Why isn't 2009 Derrick Rose on here? He set the all time Rookie playoff debut scoring record in that Game 1 win at defending Champions Celtics. He had an excellent series.
ReplyDeleteAfter a successful withdrawal of profit that accumulated to $27,000 BTC in 14 days from an investment of $1,300. I'm so excited and unreservedly express my gratitude to Mr Carlos Wilfred who guided me with through the investment course that yielded me a total $27,000 BTC profits in just 14 days . For those who a business oriented and wish to make profit from bitcoin trading investment, simply contact him Email: investandearnbinaryfx@gmail.com or WhatsApp +1(424)285-0682
ReplyDeleteIf you do not have adequate NBA 2K22 MT, you can trade on the SAFENBAMT.COM web site currently. You can acquire instantaneous order results with appropriate supply, as well as the rate of SAFENBAMT is likewise extremely inexpensive. You will certainly deny pricey 2KMT on the market. Absolutely, the security of an internet site is additionally extremely crucial, SAFENBAMT is your excellent choice!
ReplyDelete