Here’s something that may not surprise you: playing in the NBA is hard. Playing in the league as an 18- or 19-year-old is even harder, as those you’re playing against are older, stronger and generally more mature. So when someone who isn’t even old enough to legally drink comes in and shows their worth immediately, it turns some heads.
Enter Luka Doncic, the 19-year-old who is coming into his own with the Dallas Mavericks. On Sunday he had his best game to date, collecting 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the youngest player ever with a 30-point triple-double.
It’s shaping up to be a historic season for the rookie from Slovenia. Here is the company he might keep if he continues to put up these numbers as a teenager:
6) Kyrie Irving (2011-12):
Kind of like another former No. 1 overall pick that went to Cleveland, Irving joined a Cavs team that terrible the year earlier (19 wins total) and was immediately the best player on the roster. The win total didn’t rise a whole lot that first year (21) but Irving put up workmanlike numbers. His Rookie of the Year campaign saw him average 18.5 points (with 47/40/87 percent splits), 5.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
5) Anthony Davis (2012-13):
The Brow didn’t have the scoring numbers like some of the others on here, but Davis did pretty much everything for the Hornets as a rookie. He averaged 13.5 points (on 52 percent shooting), 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Had he not suffered a few injuries and played more than 64 games, he likely would have put up even bigger numbers.
4) Kevin Durant (2007-08):
His team wasn’t any good – the SuperSonics finished their final season in Seattle a lowly 20-62 – but it was obvious they found a star in the 19-year-old Durant. The Rookie of the Year averaged 20.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, becoming the third teenager in NBA history to average at least 20 points a contest (the other two are, shockingly, also on this list).
3) Carmelo Anthony (2003-04):
If it weren’t for another Hall of Fame-level talent debuting the same year, Anthony’s ’03-04 season would be even higher on this list. The 19-year-old averaged 21 points per game for the season, highlighted by a 41-point effort against Seattle to become the second-youngest player ever with a 40-point game. The Nuggets also received a major boost with the addition of Melo: after going 17-65 in 2002-03, Denver finished 43-39 the following season and made the playoffs.
2) Moses Malone (1974-75):
Perhaps the most underappreciated superstar in basketball history, Malone’s first season as a professional came at age 19 in the ABA with the Utah Stars, and he was a monster. The first player to ever go directly from high school to pro ball, he averaged a double-double for the season (18.8 points, 14.6 rebounds) and became the first teenager to be named an All-Star as a rookie.
1) LeBron James (2003-04):
Right from the start, LeBron showed why he entered the league already nicknamed King James. The Rookie of the Year played nearly 40 minutes a night, averaging 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds, the third rookie to ever have that season stat line. He took a Cleveland team that went 17-65 in 2003 to 35-47 in 2004 and within a game of the playoffs with largely the same roster – Carlos Boozer, Darius Miles, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ricky Davis, etc.