5 NBA players with the highest points per game (PPG) in their rookie season since 2000

#3 Carmelo Anthony | Denver Nuggets (2003-04)

Carmelo Anthony (right) goes up against Kobe Bryant (Photo Credit: David Zalubowski/AP/Shutterstock.)

Carmelo Anthony definitely had a great case to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award over LeBron James in the 2003-04 season. Not only did he lead all rookies in points per game with 21 per night, Anthony also had a huge impact on his team.

The Denver Nuggets had posted a 17-65 record the previous year, and were in dire straits. But with Anthony coming in and Andre Miller's free-agent signing, the team improved to a 43-39 season and made it to the NBA Playoffs.

Anthony led them in scoring and also averaged 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Ultimately, James won the NBA Rookie of the Year, but Anthony pushed him and had an excellent chance to win it himself. Both players won Rookie of the Month honors at their conferences each month during the 2003-04 NBA season.

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#2 Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks (2018-19)

Luka Doncic of Slovenia celebrates at the 2021 Olympics

Luka Doncic has already proven to be an immensely talented player in the NBA and has established himself among the current elite of NBA talent. Back in the 2018-19 season, not many trusted Doncic's transition from playing for Real Madrid to the NBA. But the Slovenian has proved he is an incredible player right from his first NBA campaign.

Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in his rookie year for the Dallas Mavericks. His average of 21.2 points per game ranks second among NBA rookies since 2000.

He won Rookie of the Year honors and has continued to progress on offense since then. Doncic has taken the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Playoffs twice in a row over the last two campaigns. He is likely to be in the MVP discussion soon and his offensive game has been extremely impressive so far.

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#1 Blake Griffin | LA Clippers (2010-11)

Blake Griffin #2 of the Brooklyn Nets.

Similar to the previously-mentioned case of Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin missed the entire 2009-10 season after being the first pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. In his first playing season in the league, the 2010-11 campaign, Griffin's athleticism was highly impactful among NBA fans and his display of dunks was electrifying.

In his first year with the LA Clippers, Griffin put up 22.5 points per game, the highest of any rookie since 2000. He also added 12.1 rebounds (also the highest average for a rookie since 2000) and 3.8 assists per game.

Although Griffin's display did not translate into huge collective success, he did earn a spot in the All-Star Game.

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