It’s always hard to make the adjustment from playing in high school, college, or overseas, to the NBA. They play by a different set of rules, the competition is bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic.
That’s why some players need more time to develop and make an immediate impact. Nonetheless, there has been a handful of young guns that dominate opposing defenses right away.
Some players manage to average 20+ points per game from the very second they set foot on an NBA hardwood. Today, we’re going to let you know about the only 6 active players that have accomplished this feature.
6. Joel Embiid
Lowest PPG Season: 20.2 PPG
Joel Embiid missed the first two seasons of his career due to injuries and many people thought he was going to be a bust. Needless to say, it didn’t take long before he silenced his critics with his incredible play on both ends of the floor.
Embiid averaged 20.2 points per game during his rookie year and his scoring numbers have improved every season (except the last one). Right now, he’s averaging a career-high 28.5 points per game.
5. Kevin Durant
Lowest PPG Season: 20.3 PPG
Once it’s all said and done, Kevin Durant will go down as one of the greatest – if not the greatest – pure scorers in NBA history. He’s been a walking bucket since his days with the Seattle Supersonics as a rookie.
Notably, Durant became the youngest scoring champion after winning the award in just his third season in the league. He’s earned that distinction 4 times thus far, even getting a 32.0 PPG season. He averages 27.0 points per game per his career.
4. Donovan Mitchell
Lowest PPG Season: 20.5 PPG
For some people, Donovan Mitchell should’ve won Rookie of the Year ahead of Ben Simmons, and it’s hard to argue that logic when you see that he averaged 20.5 points per game in his first season in the league.
Mitchell continues to blossom as a scorer and is now used to taking over in the playoffs as well. His scoring averages have improved every single year, up to 26.4 points per game right now. His career average sits at 23.4 PPG after his 4th season in the league.
3. LeBron James
Lowest PPG Season: 20.9 PPG
LeBron James is so good that we don’t think of him as a scorer even though he’s never averaged fewer than 20.9 points per game, which happened during his first year in the league.
James is going to retire as the league’s all-time leading scorer. Even so, it’s crazy to see that he’s only had one 30+ points per game season, which happened in 2007-08 when he won the scoring title. He averages 27.0 PPG per his career.
2. Luka Doncic
Lowest PPG Season: 21.2 PPG
Luka Doncic was one of the most experienced rookies ever but not even the most optimistic Dallas Mavericks fan thought he was going to be that good that fast. Some scouts even counted him out and said that he was going to be a bust.
Fast-forward to today and Luka Doncic has a career average of 25.7 points, even averaging 28.8 points per game last year. The scariest part is that he only keeps getting better as the days go by.
1. Zion Williamson
Lowest PPG Season: 22.5 PPG
Zion Williamson was the most hyped prospect in NBA history since LeBron James. His highlights were viral even before he committed to play for Duke, and he hasn’t disappointed in his first couple of seasons in the Association.
Zion averaged 22.5 points per game in his rookie year and that number went to 27.0 in his sophomore year. He did that on 61% from the floor as well. Williamson is a dominant and unstoppable force that’s torching NBA competition as easily as he did vs. middle-school guys, and he’s years away from his peak as a scorer.
Credit: The Sports ExpertYT
