Best season ever played at age 18-19-20...to 45 (bbref age) Let's play this game

[Gibson22]

So, I tought It would be funny to open this thread about (title).
We can go from 18 (youngest players ever drafted) to 44 (oldest player ever)

[Gibson22]

Just like that I would go
39: MJ
40: Manu
41: Kareem
42: Dikembe
43: Parish
44: Kevin Willis
45: Nat Hickey

[Gibson22]

39: MJ
38: Kareem
37: Kareem
36: Malone
35: Malone
34: MJ (lebron current season)
33: Lebron (MJ)
32: Lebron
31: Lebron
30: Hakeem
29: Michael Jordan
28: MJ
27: MJ
26: MJ
25: MJ
24: LBJ
23: KAJ
22: KAJ
21: Duncan
20: Lebron
19: Lebron
18: Bryant/Mcgrady

does this list make sense?

[HeartBreakKid]

39: MJ
38: Kareem
37: Kareem
36: Malone
35: Malone
34: MJ (lebron current season)
33: Lebron (MJ)
32: Lebron
31: Lebron
30: Hakeem
29: Michael Jordan
28: MJ
27: MJ
26: MJ
25: MJ
24: LBJ
23: KAJ
22: KAJ
21: Duncan
20: Lebron
19: Lebron
18: Bryant/Mcgrady

does this list make sense?

Wizard's Jordan the best 39 year old? Not even sure if he is top 5. He was a ball hog and couldn't play any defense.

I would say Karl Malone is the best 39 year old.

Stockton and Kareem were better at 39 than Jordan I think by a clear margin. Duncan's last season he was 39 and still a good defender. Robert Parish was a decent complimentary scorer at 39 also.

[picko]

18: Tracy McGrady
19: LeBron James
20: LeBron James
21: LeBron James
22: Shaquille O'Neal
23: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
24: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
25: Michael Jordan
26: Michael Jordan
27: Michael Jordan
28: LeBron James
29: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
30: David Robinson
31: Magic Johnson
32: Michael Jordan
33: LeBron James
34: Karl Malone
35: Karl Malone
36: Karl Malone
37: Karl Malone
38: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
39: Karl Malone
40: John Stockton
41: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
42: Robert Parish
43: Robert Parish
44: Kevin Willis

Final tally:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5)
LeBron James (5)
Karl Malone (5)
Michael Jordan (4)

I used a combination of advanced measures (PER, WS, VORP) along with a little judgement. In terms of longevity, three players clearly standout: KAJ, Malone and Stockton. In fact, Stockton is arguably the only player in league history to have played great basketball after turning 40.

LeBron dominates early, no real surprise there, prime is largely shared by Jordan and KAJ (with LeBron always in the mix). Malone dominates the late 30s. Every player who has played from age 41 onwards has been horrible.

[Gregoire]

18: Kobe
19: LeBron
20: LeBron
21: Duncan
22: Kareem
23: Kareem
24: Kareem
25: Jordan
26: Jordan
27: Jordan
28: Jordan
29: Jordan
30: Hakeem
31: Lebron
32: Jordan
33: Lebron
34: Lebron
35: Malone
36: Malone
37: Malone
38: Kareem
39: Kareem
40: Stockton
41: Kareem

[Gibson22]

no

[LA Bird]

18: 98 TMac
19: 75 Moses
20: 70 Haywood
21: 94 Shaq
22: 08 Paul
23: 71 Kareem
24: 09 LeBron
25: 89 Jordan
26: 90 Jordan
27: 91 Jordan
28: 13 LeBron
29: 77 Kareem
30: 67 Wilt
31: 16 LeBron
32: 17 LeBron
33: 97 Jordan
34: 98 Jordan
35: 72 Wilt
36: 73 Wilt
37: 85 Kareem
38: 01 Stockton
39: 02 Stockton
40: 03 Stockton
41: 08 Mutombo
42: 96 Parish
43: 97 Parish
44: 07 Willis

Not as high on early LeBron and late Malone as the others. Wilt and Moses seem to have been forgotten because they most definitely should be on the list.

[feyki]

20- Magic Johnson 1980
21- Michael Jordan 1986
22- Rookie Mikan
23- Sophomore Mikan
24- KAJ 1972
25- George Mikan 1950
26- KAJ 1974
27- SHAQ 2000
28- SHAQ 2001
29- KAJ 1977
30- Wilt C. 1967
31- Wilt C. 1968
32- Hakeem 1995
33- Bill Russell 1968
34- Hakeem 1997
35- Wilt C. 1972
36- Wilt C. 1973
37- KAJ 1985
38- KAJ 1986
39- Karl Malone 2003.

[Cavsfansince84]

20- Magic Johnson 1980
21- Michael Jordan 1986
22- Rookie Mikan
23- Sophomore Mikan
24- KAJ 1972
25- George Mikan 1950
26- KAJ 1974
27- SHAQ 2000
28- SHAQ 2001
29- KAJ 1977
30- Wilt C. 1967
31- Wilt C. 1968
32- Hakeem 1995
33- Bill Russell 1968
34- Hakeem 1997
35- Wilt C. 1972
36- Wilt C. 1973
37- KAJ 1985
38- KAJ 1986
39- Karl Malone 2003.

Someone seems kind of high on George Mikan and centers in general.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

Consider Spencer Haywood for age 20 and Moses Malone for age 19. They were in the ABA.
The list people have are probably correct but stat wise you can make a case for Spencer Haywood having a better age 20 than LeBron.

[feyki]

20- Magic Johnson 1980
21- Michael Jordan 1986
22- Rookie Mikan
23- Sophomore Mikan
24- KAJ 1972
25- George Mikan 1950
26- KAJ 1974
27- SHAQ 2000
28- SHAQ 2001
29- KAJ 1977
30- Wilt C. 1967
31- Wilt C. 1968
32- Hakeem 1995
33- Bill Russell 1968
34- Hakeem 1997
35- Wilt C. 1972
36- Wilt C. 1973
37- KAJ 1985
38- KAJ 1986
39- Karl Malone 2003.

Someone seems kind of high on George Mikan and centers in general.

I'm really high on Mikan,Wilt and Kareem's peak due to high profile ability on both ends. They have top 20-25 level both offence and defence, beside of 2016, Lebron's or Jordan's any year doesn't belong in the top 75 defence.

[penbeast0]

39: MJ
38: Kareem
37: Kareem
36: Malone
35: Malone
34: MJ (lebron current season)
33: Lebron (MJ)
32: Lebron
31: Lebron
30: Hakeem
29: Michael Jordan
28: MJ
27: MJ
26: MJ
25: MJ
24: LBJ
23: KAJ
22: KAJ
21: Duncan
20: Lebron
19: Lebron
18: Bryant/Mcgrady

does this list make sense?

Interesting that according to the NBA peaks project rating, the 2nd and 4th greatest seasons of all time (Shaq 00 and Wilt 67) don't make this list. Instead, MJ 91 (the #1 greatest season) and Hakeem 93 (his second greatest season and even 94 was rated 6th behind Wilt) get the honors. Both very reasonable arguments btw.

[penbeast0]

20- Magic Johnson 1980
21- Michael Jordan 1986
22- Rookie Mikan
23- Sophomore Mikan
24- KAJ 1972
25- George Mikan 1950
26- KAJ 1974
27- SHAQ 2000
28- SHAQ 2001
29- KAJ 1977
30- Wilt C. 1967
31- Wilt C. 1968
32- Hakeem 1995
33- Bill Russell 1968
34- Hakeem 1997
35- Wilt C. 1972
36- Wilt C. 1973
37- KAJ 1985
38- KAJ 1986
39- Karl Malone 2003.

Someone seems kind of high on George Mikan and centers in general.

To be fair, until the rule changes and corresponding shifts in offensive/defensive strategy of the MJ and beyond years, centers were almost always the most important position.

The only teams before the Phil Jackson Bulls to win without a HOF center were the 75 Warriors (had just traded away Nate Thurmond for Cliff Ray and had supersub defender George Johnson behind him) and the Bad Boy Pistons (Bill Laimbeer). All the other winners weren't necessarily built around a center but they all had the HOF qualifying player there. Makes sense without the 3 pointer when the closer in you shot, the higher percentage the shot generally was.

[penbeast0]

Consider Spencer Haywood for age 20 and Moses Malone for age 19. They were in the ABA.
The list people have are probably correct but stat wise you can make a case for Spencer Haywood having a better age 20 than LeBron.

I could make that case for Haywood, it was his best statistical year in a HOF career. Moses, however, was a very limited player when he first came into the league (limited range, turnover prone, not much court awareness); LeBron came in with a much better developed game.

Can we include Connie Hawkins MVP season at age 19 in the ABL unanimously beating out very good NBA players like George Yardley, Bill Bridges, Dick Barnett, and the underrated Kenny Sears. I think I'd still go with LeBron pretty easily but I'd take Connie's season over Moses's.

[Gibson22]

Lebron taking the spot for this season?

[limbo]

Lebron taking the spot for this season?

Yep. And the one next year. And the one next year. And the one next year. And the one next year...

[Mazter]

34: MJ (lebron current season)
...
18: Bryant/Mcgrady

does this list make sense?

This does not make sense to me, somehow you qualify this season LeBron (started 34, ended 35) as 34, but his rookie year (started 18, ended 19) as 19 years.

[Dutchball97]

Now that the season finder is locked behind a paywall things like this become way too much of a hassle to keep up with.