Upcoming Match-ups

Ben Simmons and the 5 Best Rookie Seasons in NBA History

Ryan Murphy

by Ryan Murphy in NBA Basketball

Updated Mar 17, 2018 · 9:00 AM PDT

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons could bring down the Warriors in 2018-19. Photo by Keith Allison (Flickr)
  • Ben Simmons has the Kia Rookie of the Year award in the bag after recording his eighth triple-double
  • Is Simmons Hall of Fame bound?
  • Will he surpass Oscar Robertson for most career triple-doubles?

It’s time to start engraving Ben Simmons’ name on the Kia Rookie of the Year award. The 21-year-old point guard made history on Thursday evening by becoming just the third rookie in NBA history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. The other two? Just a couple of Hall of Famers by the names of Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

With every new milestone Simmons passes he puts more distance between himself and his fellow rookies and inches closer to some of the game’s all-time greats. The big question now is just how much better he can get. We’ve set the odds on the Fresh Prince’s future production and have ranked the five best rookie seasons in league history to see how his present performance stacks up.

Prop Odds
Odds Simmons will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame 3/1
Odds Simmons will win multiple NBA championships 4/1
Odds Simmons will win multiple NBA MVP awards 3/2
Over/Under on number of All-Star Game appearances by Simmons 9.5
Odds Ben Simmons will average a triple-double in a season 1/1
Odds Ben Simmons will break Oscar Robertson’s record for career triple-doubles 7/1
Over/Under on career triple-doubles by Simmons 140.5

5. Magic Johnson (1979-80)

G MIN PTS FG% REB AST
77 36.3 18.0 .530 7.7 7.3

Magic had a phenomenal rookie year, but he makes it on our list because of what he did in the playoffs, rather than the regular season. The 6’10” showman averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 9.4 assists during his first taste of postseason play and turned in an absolute virtuoso performance in game six of the NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Starting at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic had 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Starting at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic had 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 47 minutes. His heroics earned the Lakers their first championship in nine years and netted Magic his first of three Finals MVP awards.

4. Michael Jordan (1984-85)

G MIN PTS FG% REB AST
82 38.3 28.2 .515 6.5 5.9

Michael Jordan may not have been the number one pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, but he emerged as the best player during his rookie season by a Sam Bowie-sized margin. The 6’6” shooting guard averaged 28.2 points per game and earned Rookie of the Year honors, finished sixth in MVP balloting, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Best of all? Jordan’s gravity-defying dunks and electrifying play made basketball cool again and mercifully drew attention away from the Dave Corzines of the world.

Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA titles. Photo by mccarmona23 (Flickr) [CC License]

MJ also had a huge impact on Chicago’s fortunes. His stellar all-around play helped the Bulls improve by 11 games and allowed them to return to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Chicago got bumped out of the first round by the Bucks, but the message was clear: Jordan and the Bulls would be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70)

G MIN PTS FG% REB AST
82 43.1 28.8 .518 14.5 4.1

When most people think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar they think of the painfully tall nerd that occasionally stops by Jeopardy! to answer questions about 18th Century Russian Literature. That’s a shame, because the 7’2” Hall of Famer was a total badass during his first few years in the league.

Playing under the name Lew Alcindor, Kareem averaged 28.8 points and 14.5 boards in his rookie season and kept opposing bigs off balance by mixing graceful skyhooks with dangerously explosive drives to the hoop. His presence helped the Bucks improve by 29 wins from the season before and he was rewarded for his efforts by earning Rookie of the Year honors and finishing third in MVP voting. Do yourself a favor and check out some of his highlights to discover just how quick and lively he really was.

YouTube video

2. Oscar Robertson (1960-61)

G MIN PTS FG% REB AST
71 42.7 30.5 .473 10.1 9.7

Anyone who has ever been around Oscar Robertson knows that he was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of a season. Seriously, it’s like he’s contractually obligated to mention it every 90 seconds. However, you might not know that he came tantalizing close to accomplishing the feat in his rookie season as well when he averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists with Cincinnati.

Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson came close to averaging a triple-double in his rookie season. Photo by Sports Magazine Archive (Wikimedia Commons) [CC License]

The Big O was so good that he helped the Royals improve by 14 games and was named to the All-NBA First Team and finished fifth MVP voting. Don’t believe us? Go ahead and ask him about it some time.

1. Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60)

G MIN PTS FG% REB AST
72 46.4 37.6 .461 27.0 2.3

Wilt Chamberlain didn’t just have the greatest rookie season in NBA history in 1959-60, he had one of the greatest seasons, period. The Big Dipper led the league in points, and rebounds, and would almost certainly have been number one in blocks as well if the NBA had kept track of the stat at the time. His herculean swats kept opposing players out of the lane and kept Philadelphia in the win column all season long.

Chamberlain became the first player to simultaneously win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, and was also named the most valuable player at the tenth annual NBA All-Star Game.

Chamberlain became the first player to simultaneously win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, and was also named the most valuable player at the tenth annual NBA All-Star Game after pouring in 23 points and 25 rebounds for the Eastern Conference.

Author Image