NBA History: 5 greatest rookie seasons in the 21st century

Every year the NBA welcomes its newest rookie class, and each time there is immense pressure placed on the shoulders of those who come out on top in the draft.

Some struggle to find their feet in the NBA ,and take a few years to evolve into the player the team that drafted them thought they would become. For others, though, they hit the ground running, and live up to the hype of being a top-5 pick.

On that note, here's a look at the top five debut campaigns of rookies selected top 5 in their draft class since 2000:

#5 Chris Paul

Chris Paul played for the New Orleans Hornets before earning a big move to the LA Clippers.

After a stellar rookie campaign, Chris Paul has gone on to become one of the greatest point guards of all time in the NBA. Coming out of Wake Forest, Paul was drafted fourth overall in 2005 by the New Orleans Hornets. He helped the team go from a 18-64 record the previous campaign to 38-44.

Paul's 10.4 win shares ranks top among all rookies since 2000, with no other player averaging a statline of 15/5/5/2 in their debut campaign. He would, in fact, put up 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as the Hornets moved up five places in the Western Conference after finishing bottom the previous season.

Although Paul shot at 43%, his second-lowest rate while playing in the NBA, he did connect with 85% of free-throws, and was a menacing defensive asset, ranking third in the league for steals.

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#4 Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic in his debut season with the Dallas Mavericks

After winning the EuroLeague MVP award, Luka Doncic adapted to life in the NBA with aplomb in the 2018-19 season. Then a teenager, the Slovenian immediately endeared himself to Dallas Mavericks fans with his fast-paced style of play and range of shooting skills.

Doncic would go on to average 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and six assists per game in his debut NBA campaign. Most importantly, for both him and the Mavs, he pipped Trae Young, who the Hawks had traded for with Dallas, in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting.

Although he couldn't quite help the Mavericks return to the playoffs, Doncic certainly put his name on the map as he goes into the 2021-22 NBA campaign as one of the favorites to win the MVP award.

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#3 LeBron James

LeBron James playing in the 2018 NBA Finals

Despite not having as statistically a successful NBA rookie season as the others on this list, LeBron James makes it in due to the adversity he had to overcome in his debut campaign.

James entered the league as one of the most-highly anticipated players of all time, yet hadn't had the benefit of playing college basketball. Nevertheless, the then-teenager lived up to the hype, earning the Rookie of the Year award.

James also had to play through the jealousy felt by his teammates in Cleveland. Suddenly he was the best player in town, and those around him had to help develop his greatness, which many didn't appreciate doing that time.

Despite that, James went on to outscore his teammates (20.9 points per game) and led the Cavs in steals too with 1.6 every contest. He also put up 5.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per outing in that campaign.

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#2 Ben Simmons

Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers - Game Four

In what was a hotly-contested Rookie of the Year race in the 2017-18 season, Ben Simmons would walk away with the award from Donovan Mitchell after earning 90 of the 101 first-place votes. Despite not earning an NBA All-Star place, Simmons' campaign was as good as any Philadelphia 76ers fans have seen from his since then.

The Australian missed his debut year through injury, but adapted to the NBA immediately when he did feature, averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

He grabbed a career-high 12 triple-doubles, and shot at 54% from the field. Amassing 9.2 win shares due to his ability at both ends of the floor, Simmons earned comparisons with Magic Johnson and LeBron James due to his ball-handling prowess and size. He also helped the Sixers reach the NBA playoffs that year, something they didn't do since 2013.

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#1 Blake Griffin

Former LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin

Despite missing the 2009-10 NBA season due to knee surgery, when Blake Griffin did step on the floor for the LA Clippers, fans didn't want him to step off. The no.1 overall pick did not disappoint in his rookie NBA campaign and arguably had one of his best seasons in the league that season, dunking his way into LA Clippers' folklore.

Griffin achieved what others on this list failed to do in his first season, which was earning an All-Star call-up in his rookie year.

He averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds (a career-high) and shot at 50% from the field. There are very few players, let alone rookies, who have had similar stat-lines throughout a season in the 21st century. He even received 36 votes to be named into one of the All-NBA teams before later making five more in his career.

Griffin also looked extremely healthy after returning from surgery, playing in every game that season and for 38 minutes per night. Only three other rookies since 2000 have averaged more minutes than Griffin.