This only includes players/legends who has an argument being in Top 10 all time
Rookie Versions (Placed in MVP Race)
WILT - 1st (Yes, Rookie MVP!!!)
KAREEM - 3rd
LARRY - 4th
TIMMY - 5th
MJ - 6th
SHAQ - 7th
RUSSELL - 7th
LEBRON - 9th
HAKEEM - 12th
MAGIC - No place ( Yes, He won FMVP, but his reg season was not exceptional. Larry’s rookie reg season was better)
KOBE - No Place
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NEWER PLAYERS (Potential Top 10 All Time Level Players when they are done)
(During their rookie season. Their MVP Race Spots)
STEPH - No Place
KD - No Place
Jokic - No Place
Giannis - No Place
Luka - No Place
Wemby - No Place
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As you can see Legends were better when they were rookies than the rookie versions of modern players.
Most All Time Legends above are literally MVP Candidates during their rookie season. Even Top 3. Heck, Wilt won MVP as a Rookie.
Potential Top 10 all time players among the modern players today. Amazing players like Steph, KD Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Wemby, etc. or maybe future top 15 all time players in the future when they are done. They were not MVP Candidates during their rookie season.
Of course some people will maybe argue things like:
“The nba is deeper and more talented now”
“The age should be the basis, not just rookie season. Because there is a difference betweeen 22 yrs old rookie to 18 yrs old rookie”
“The Nba pre 2000s was just undeveloped. Especially pre merger pre 1980s”
etc.
I wouldn’t say it’s because the league is deeper or anything, but those players are the greatest ever for a reason. They came in absurdly dominant from the start. Players like that are extremely rare
LeBron, while he wasn’t as dominant his rookie season, made a massive leap his 2nd and 3rd years and basically never looked back for 20+ straight seasons. There’s also the fact he came in younger. Most of the high school legends took at least a year or 2 to truly start utterly dominating