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#3 LeBron James
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.
#2 Ben Simmons
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.
#1 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.
Guess the Lakers players!
