Seasons for the Ages (Part 1)

Choosing the best seasons in NBA history from age 19 through age 29.

I thought it might be fun to pick what I think is the best NBA season at each age* for players ranging from 19 to 40 years old. Although I gave a lot weight to the statistical evidence, this was definitely part art and part science, meaning I didn’t rely on a single statistic or formula to produce an answer.

* Player age is calculated on Feb. 1 of the given campaign, which is roughly the halfway point of the regular season.

This will be part one of a two-part series. Today, I’ll cover players in the age range from 19 to 29 years. Part two will be published later this week, where I’ll choose the best seasons for players age 30 to 40 years old.

Age 19: Jayson Tatum, 2017-18

It was a close call between Tatum’s debut season and Kobe Bryant’s sophomore campaign, but I went with the former. Tatum averaged 13.9 PPG and 5.0 RPG with 47.5/43.4/82.6 shooting splits in 80 regular-season games. He was even better in the postseason, averaging a team-high 18.5 PPG on 57.8% true shooting for a Boston Celtics team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals (minus their injured star, Kyrie Irving), where they fell in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Honorable Mention (in chronological order): Kobe Bryant, 1997-98; Dwight Howard, 2004-05; Kyrie Irving, 2011-12; Anthony Davis, 2013-13.

Age 20: LeBron James, 2004-05

In just his second season, James averaged 27.2 PPG (third in the NBA), 7.4 RPG, 7.2 APG (sixth), and 2.2 SPG (third) in 80 games. I should note those first three figures are eerily close to his career averages of 27.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.4 APG over 22 seasons. James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 42-40 record, the franchise’s first winning season since the 1997-98 campaign. He was named All-NBA Second Team, his first of 21 straight All-NBA selections.

Honorable Mention: Magic Johnson, 1979-80; Shaquille O’Neal, 1992-93; Anthony Davis, 2013-14; Luka Doncic, 2019-20.

Age 21: Shaquille O’Neal, 1993-94

O’Neal followed up his Rookie of the Year campaign in 1992-93 with a dominant sophomore season. In 81 games, he averaged 29.3 PPG (second in the NBA), 13.2 RPG (second), and 2.9 BPG (sixth) while shooting a league-leading 59.9% from the field. He helped the Orlando Magic post the first winning record in franchise history (50-32) and qualify for the NBA Playoffs for the first time.

Honorable Mention: Michael Jordan, 1984-85; LeBron James, 2005-06; Kevin Durant, 2009-10; Anthony Davis, 2014-15.