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Lakers: How will Ball’s rookie year stack against all-time Laker greats?

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 23: Lonzo Ball looks on as Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 23: Lonzo Ball looks on as Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 18: Kobe Bryant (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 18: Kobe Bryant (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

7.6 pts, 1.3 ast, 1.9 reb. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 5. 20. 1996-97. Kobe Bryant

As legendary as Kobe Bryant’s 20-year career was with the Los Angeles Lakers, he has the least impressive rookie season out of all five of these guys. The Lakers all-time leader in points, games played and steals does not have an impressive rookie season on his resume. Granted, with at least one year of college basketball that would have improved, but Bryant made the huge jump from high school to the NBA.

In his rookie season, Byrant played in 71 of the team’s 82 games, only making six starts in the process. The Lakers star only averaged 15.5 minutes per game, and that bench role extended to the next season. The following year, Bryant averaged a much larger 26.0 points per game but only started in one contest.

Even off the bench in his second season was far more impressive than his rookie campaign. Bryant’s numbers jumped to 15.4 points, 2.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. While those numbers may still warrant him a last-place ranking on this list, they are far better than his initial rookie numbers.

So, despite being perhaps the best Laker in franchise history, Kobe Bryant really did not have a rookie season that turned a lot of heads. At the time, Bryant had immense promise, but nobody expected him to be the top five all-time player he is today.

In the end, though, Bryant is the only guy on this list that did not start his rookie season, so perhaps the jump from high school to the pros did take something away from the Black Mamba.

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