In recent weeks, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made some controversial comments when asked about star point guard Luka Doncic. Kidd boldly claimed that Doncic was already on the same level as NBA legends such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. As outlandish as this seems from Kidd, we decided to compare these four superstars through their first five seasons in the NBA. Seeing as Doncic has yet to complete his sixth season, it is only fair to the validity of the comparison to use every player’s first five seasons.Â
Using every metric from advanced stats to individual awards to overall playoff success on the team level, we can put this conversation to rest swiftly and efficiently, decisively concluding which one of these NBA stars had the greatest start to their career.
Best Stats
1. Michael Jordan – 32.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG (4 Points)
2. Luka Doncic – 27.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG (3 Points)
3. LeBron James – 27.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG (2 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 18.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG (1 Point)
To kick things off, the category of best stats is a three-man race for the top spot. Coming out on top is Michael Jordan who is the only player to average over 30.0 points per game in his first five seasons while also recording more steals and blocks than anyone else on this list. His 32.6 points per game came on 51.3% shooting from the field and three straight seasons of over 30.0 points per game and 2.5 SPG from 1987 through 1989.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James are in a close race for second place behind Jordan. Ultimately, Doncic gets the selection for his slightly superior scoring, rebounding, and playmaking numbers. Efficiency-wise, their numbers are almost identical with James shooting 46.7$ from the floor and 32.4% from three while Doncic shoots 26.6% overall and 33.8% from three in their first five seasons.
Rounding out the best stats category is Kobe Bryant. Of course, Bryant had to contend with Del Harris’ decision to play him off the bench for the first few seasons of his career but once he hit his stride, the Lakers became unstoppable but it was still not enough to improve his standing here.
Playoff Success In First 5 Years
*Every round advancement is worth 1 point
1. Kobe Bryant – 2 NBA Finals, 1 Conference Finals, 2 Semifinals (4 Points)
T2. LeBron James – 1 NBA Finals, 2 Semifinals (3 Points)
T2. Michael Jordan – 1 Conference Finals, 1 Semifinals, 3 First Rounds (3 Points)
4. Luka Doncic – 1 Conference Finals, 2 First Rounds (1 Point)
In the category of overall playoff success, Kobe Bryant completely flips the script and takes home first-place points thanks to multiple trips to the NBA Finals in 2000 and 2001 as well as a Conference Finals appearance and two trips to the second round. The only other player in this comparison to earn a trip to the NBA Finals in their first five seasons is LeBron James who advanced to the Finals in 2007 with Cleveland. James’ two other trips to the second round allotted him a tie for second with Michael Jordan.
Jordan could not get over the hump in his first five seasons but would advance to a Conference Finals in 1989 as well as the second round one time and the first round three times. Only Jordan and Bryant reached the playoffs every year in their first five seasons. Bringing up the rear in regards to overall playoff success is Luka Doncic. In his first five seasons, Doncic was able to lead the Mavericks to one Western Conference Finals in 2022 and two other first-round exits in 2020 and 2021.
NBA Championships And Finals Appearances
1. Kobe Bryant – 2 NBA Championships, 2 Finals Appearances (4 Points)
2. LeBron James – 0 NBA Championships, 1 Finals Appearance (3 Points)
T3. Michael Jordan – 0 NBA Championships, 0 Finals Appearances (0 Points)
T3. Luka Doncic – 0 NBA Championships, 0 Finals Appearances (0 Points)
Of the four stars in today’s comparison, only Kobe Bryant and LeBron James helped their teams advance to the NBA Finals at least once in their first five seasons. Of course, by Bryant’s fourth season, the Lakers were a powerhouse led by Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant would help lead the Lakers to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and championships in 2000 and 2001 although O’Neal was the clear best player on the floor. Bryant would add a third title in six seasons in 2002 when the Lakers three-peated as champions.
As the only other player to lead his team to an NBA Finals on this list, James collects three points for the category. In 2007, his fourth season, LeBron led a lackluster Cavaliers team to the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Although they were swept in four games, James had done something special by earning the franchise their first NBA Finals appearance ever.
Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic dealt with similar situations in their first five seasons with the Bulls and Mavericks respectively. It took years of individual greatness surrounded by subpar roster construction and needed time to find and develop a core around their stars. Both Doncic and Jordan were able to advance to one Conference Finals during their first five seasons but both fell short of the eventual NBA champions.
Major Awards
1. Michael Jordan – 8 Major Awards – 1x MVP, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 3x Scoring Champ, 1x Steals Champ (4 Points)
2. LeBron James – 4 Major Awards – 1x Rookie Of The Year, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 1x Scoring Champ (3 Points)
3. Luka Doncic – 1 Major Award – 1x Rookie Of The Year (2 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 0 Major Awards (0 Points)
Michael Jordan runs away with the most major categories as the most individually decorated player of the four. Jordan is the only player in today’s comparison to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, multiple scoring titles, and a steals title in his first five seasons. Jordan won his first three career scoring titles in a string of seven straight from 1987 through 1993 and also collected MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in 1988.
LeBron James takes home second-place points with the four major awards he took home in his first five seasons. James won a close Rookie of the Year race with Carmelo Anthony in 2003-04 and also took home All-Star Game MVP awards in 2006 and 2008. James added his first and only career scoring title in 2008 as well with 30.0 points per game.
Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant bring up the rear in this category with one major award won between them. That came courtesy of Luka Doncic who was the runaway Rookie of the Year in 2019, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Bryant’s greatest individual honors did not come until much later in his career.
Most All-NBA Team Selections
T1. Michael Jordan – 4 All-NBA Team Selections (4 Points)
T1. LeBron James – 4 All-NBA Team Selections (4 Points)
T1. Luka Doncic – 4 All-NBA Team Selections (4 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 3 All-NBA Team Selections (1 Point)
Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, and LeBron James all take home first-place points for their four All-NBA Team selections in their first five seasons. Of these three players, Doncic is the only player to have all four of his selections come by way of the First Team while Jordan had three First Teams selections and James had two.
Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant fell just short of claiming first-place points with three All-NBA team selections in his first five seasons. For Kobe, two of his selections would come to the Second Team and one of them would be to the Third Team.
Most All-Defensive Team Selections
T1. Michael Jordan – 2 All-Defensive Team Selections (4 Points)
T1. Kobe Bryant – 2 All-Defensive Team Selections (4 Points)
T3. Luka Doncic – 0 All-Defensive Team Selections (0 Points)
T3. LeBron James – 0 All-Defensive Team Selections (0 Points)
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant hold the distinct honor of being the only players in today’s comparison to be honored for their defensive efforts in their first five seasons. Michael Jordan was the superior defender with two All-Defensive First Team selections and a Defensive Player of the Year award in 1988. Bryant would earn one First Team selection and one Second Team selection in his first five seasons and would go on to earn 12 in his career, an NBA record by a guard.
As for LeBron James and Luka Doncic, they would each put up a goose egg on the defensive front in their first five seasons. James would hit his stride as a defender, earning six All-Defensive Team selections in his career. Doncic still has plenty of room to improve as a defender, and most would say defense is his biggest weakness on the court. Chances are slim that we ever see Doncic on an All-Defensive Team in his career.
Most All-Star Selections
1. Michael Jordan – 5 All-Star Selections (4 Points)
T2. Luka Doncic – 4 All-Star Selections (3 Points)
T2. LeBron James – 4 All-Star Selections (3 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 3 All-Star Selections (1 Point)
Another category, another claim to first-place point for one Michael Jordan. Of our four competitors here today, Jordan is the only player to have been selected as an All-Star in each of his first five seasons. Even in the season in which he broke his foot in 1986, he was still voted in as an All-Star.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James each earned four All-Star selections in their first five seasons, earning them three points apiece for this category. Doncic and James’ only non-All-Star seasons came during their rookie years and each has been an All-Star every season since. Lebron James leads the way with 20 selections while Doncic is a quarter of the way there with five.
Kobe Bryant missed out on two All-Star selections in his first five years, leaving him with one point to take home in this category. Bryant was named the NBA’s youngest All-Star at 19 in 1997-98 but missed out on selections in 1996 and 1999.
Win Shares
1. Michael Jordan – 73.4 Win Shares (4 Points)
2. LeBron James – 64.6 Win Shares (3 Points)
3. Luka Doncic – 39.2 Win Shares (2 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 35.2 Win Shares (1 Point)
No two players impacted winning more over their first five seasons in the NBA than Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Jordan’s 73.4 win shares earn him yet another four points in this comparison. Jordan led the NBA in win shares three times in his first five years with four seasons accumulating 14.0 or more total win shares. James would not lead the NBA in win shares at all in his first five seasons but did record four seasons with at least 13.5 to his name.
Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant find themselves in a completely different conversation compared to James and Jordan. Doncic and Bryant failed to reach 40.0 win shares in their first five seasons with Doncic just edging out Bryant by 4.0. Doncic was unable to record a season with at least 10.0 win shares in his first five seasons while Bryant had two in 2000 and 2001.
PER
1. Michael Jordan – 29.6 PER (4 Points)
T2. LeBron James – 25.2 PER (3 Points)
T2. Luka Doncic – 25.2 PER (3 Points)
4. Kobe Bryant – 20.5 PER (1 Point)
The final category in this comparison before we reach a final tally is Player Efficiency Rating, or PER for short. Using almost every metric there is on the court, PER measures a player’s efficiency including shooting, turnovers, getting to the free throw line, and more. With this criteria, Michael Jordan once again annihilates the competition and takes home first-place points with a PER of 29.6.
Luka Doncic and Lebron James miraculously tied for three second-place points each with an identical 25.2 PER in their first five seasons. LeBron James’ PER is quite low for his first five seasons compared to his stretch from 2008 through 2013 when he led the NBA every year with a rating of 27.0 or higher. As for Doncic, he has never led the NBA in PER but has recorded a rating of 25.0 or higher every season since 2020.
Who Was The Greater Player In Their First Five Seasons?
1. Michael Jordan – 31 Points (7 Categories Won)
2. LeBron James – 24 Points (1 Category Won)
T3. Luka Doncic – 18 Points (1 Category Won)
T3. Kobe Bryant – 17 Points (3 Categories Won)
The results of today’s comparison have answered the initial question we set out to at the beginning of this comparison. Does Luka Doncic belong in the conversation with Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant already? As we can see from the results, while Doncic may not be greater than Jordan or James in his first five seasons, he is right there on par with Bryant and not far behind the two GOATs of the sport.
Of course, Jordan’s first five seasons belong in The Louvre for how masterful they were on an individual level. Falling short of the Gold Standard should bring no shame to Doncic’s game. LeBron also entered the NBA on a different planet, far more advanced than most seasoned veterans at the time let alone a kid straight out of high school.
While the initial thought of a young player in today’s game being compared to these three legends so early into his career is crazy to think about, when you dive into the totality of the argument, Jason Kidd absolutely has an argument for his claim to be factual.
