The Top 33 NBA Rookies in the Past 33 Years

Here is another wayof looking at the lists Arturo and Andres presented yesterday.

A few quick observations on the top rookies since 1977…

• The only other rookie to reach the 10.0 mark in Wins Produced was Kevin Love in 2008-09.
• In other words, there have been 330 top 10 picks since 1977.  Only 34 rookies – including those in and out of the top 10 picks – have produced 10 wins his rookie season.  So once again, chances are the players chosen at the end of the month are not going to have a large impact on their new NBA team.
• The top names – David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan – would probably make anyone’s list of top rookies since 1977. In other words, Wins Produced does tend to fit conventional wisdom for the very best players.
• Some surprising names, though, are Larry Smith, Clark Kellogg, Nate McMillan, Jeff Ruland, and Sam Bowie. Yes, before injuries struck Bowie down, he was actually a very good NBA player.

Posts have been offered before on Clark Kellogg and Sam Bowie. Perhaps a post on the other surprising rookies might be a good idea.

- DJ

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