Victor Wembanyama currently leads the NBA in blocks. As a rookie, the Frenchman is one of the best shot blockers in the league. We look at the historically best block seasons for rookies.
When it comes to blocks, it should always be mentioned that they have only been collected since the 1973/74 season. This means that the rookie years of players like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and then Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) are no longer there.
1st place: Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks): 9 blocks against the Orlando Magic on November 11, 2018.
Platz 15: Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks)
- Saison: 2018/19
- Blocks per game: 2.4
Robinson has always been a good shot blocker, but the Knicks center was never better than in his rookie season. But it should be said that he also committed an average of 3.3 fouls in just 20 minutes per game. The big man has now found a much better balance in his game.
Platz 14: Terry Tyler (Detroit Pistons)
- Saison: 1978/79
- Blocks per game: 2.5
At just 2.01 meters, Tyler is the shortest player on our list, and Tyler spent most of his career as a small forward. In 1985 he was Sixth Man of the Year, but he no longer experienced the good bad boy years in Detroit after he joined the Sacramento Kings in 1985.
TIM DUNCAN (1997-2016) – Teams: Spurs – Erfolge: 5x NBA Champion, 3x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 15x All-Star, 10x First Team, 3x Second Team, 2x Third Team, 15x All-Defensive, Rookie of the Year.
Platz 13: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
- Saison: 1997/98
- Blocks per game: 2.5
Of course, The Big Fundamental with his long arms shouldn’t be missing here. The top pick from 1997 played one of the best rookie seasons since the merger in 1976 and was voted straight into the All-NBA First Team. With an average of 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, it’s no wonder.
Platz 12: Benoit Benjamin (L.A. Clippers)
- Saison: 1985/86
- Blocks per game: 2.6
Benjamin was always considered a great talent – the Clippers picked him third in 1985 behind Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale – but the breakthrough never came. Benjamin was a good shot blocker, but also had a soft wrist and was quite a capable scorer. He only showed it too rarely. In his third season he even blocked 3.4 shots per game. After six seasons with the Clippers, another eight teams followed in ten years.
Platz 11: Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Saison: 2023/24
- Blocks per game: 2.6
Do we want to open the barrel on whether Holmgren is a rookie or not? Let’s leave it and agree that the Thunder big is a damn good player who wasn’t far away from the All-Star Game. Holmgren represents a new generation of bigs who can not only rummage in the zone, but also operate on the perimeter. Weighing only 94 kilos (according to the NBA) and standing 2.16 meters tall, he is one of the lightweights in the center position.
3rd place: HAKEEM OLAJUWON (1984-2002) – 3.1 blocks per game in 1,238 games for the Rockets and Raptors.
Platz 9: Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)
- Saison: 1984/85
- Blocks per game: 2.7
Things are different with Olajuwon; like Jordan, he is one of the best players of all time and was perhaps the most complete center in the NBA. The Dream recorded at least 2 blocks and 2 steals in four seasons. His block numbers later rose to 4.6 per season when Olajuwon was no longer playing alongside Ralph Sampson (who also had 2.4 BPG in 1984/85) and was the Rockets’ only true big.
Platz 8: Tree Rollins (Atlanta Hawks)
- Saison: 1977/78
- Blocks per game: 2.7
For many years, Rollins was the anchor of a good Hawks team who was good at one thing above all else: blocking shots. In 1982/83, Rollins led the NBA with 4.3 rejections per game; in total, only eight players have blocked more shots in their careers than Rollins (2,542), who later mentored Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando at the age of 40.
3rd place: Dikembe Mutombo – 2,174 blocks in 603 games – Teams: Nuggets, Hornets.
Platz 7: The Denver Nuggets
- Saison: 1991/92
- Blocks per game: 3.0
It only took 14 seconds before rookie Mutombo recorded his first block, but at that time he was still without the famous finger wag, which he only made his trademark in his second season. Mount Mutombo was named Defensive Player of the Year four times, only Olajuwon (3,830) blocked more shots than Mutombo (3,289).
Übrigens, hier noch einmal Mutombos voller Name: Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.
Platz 6: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
- Saison: 2023/24
- Blocks per game: 3.1
And here we already have Wembanyama, who is only on the field for an average of 28 minutes per game. In addition, the Frenchman played the first quarter of the season almost exclusively as a power forward, which also had a negative impact on his block numbers. Four blocks per game should be possible for the French prodigy in the future. Wembanyama already clearly leads the NBA in blocks.
Hakeem Olajuwon? Dwight Howard? Hassan Whiteside? It’s all nonsense – in the 1984/85 season, Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game. Inviolable!
Platz 5: Mark Eaton (Utah Jazz)
- Saison: 1982/83
- Blocks: 3,4
Eaton was certainly not a child prodigy; he was still working as a mechanic at the age of 20 before the 2.24-meter giant was discovered by chance and later played for UCLA. As an NBA rookie, Eaton was already 25 years old. In his third season, Eaton blocked an incredible 5.6 blocks per game – still an NBA record today.
Platz 4: Alonzo Mourning (Charlotte Hornets)
- Saison: 1992/93
- Blocks per game: 3.5
Mourning was one of the best defenders of the 1990s, winning Defender of the Year twice. At his peak, Zo blocked almost four attempts per game and even as a rookie, Mourning was immediately a plus player. But that wasn’t enough to win the Rookie of the Year award because…
Of course, Shaq was also popular, immediately displacing top dog Ewing in the East. Of course, Shaq’s performance was also good. His rookie highlight mixtape remains one of the best of all time.
Platz 3: Shaquille O’Neal (Orlando Magic)
- Saison: 1992/93
- Blocks per game: 3.5
… ahead of him, a certain Shaquille O’Neal was drawn, who finished the season seventh in the MVP voting. In addition to his furious dunks, young Shaq was also a pretty good shot blocker, In his second season he once sent 15 throws back to sender. With more weight, Shaq’s influence on the defense continued to decrease.
Platz 2: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)
- Saison: 1989/90
- Blocks per game: 3.9
The Admiral didn’t come into the NBA until he was 24 because of his Navy commitments and, like Shaq, was an immediate MVP candidate (he finished sixth). The model athlete was a true two-way player who knew where the basket was and at the same time was a stop sign incarnate.
2nd place: MANUTE BOL (1985-1995) – 3.3 blocks per game in 624 games for the Bullets, Warriors, Sixers and Heat.
Platz 1: Manute Bol (Washington Bullets)
- Saison: 1985/86
- Blocks per game: 5.0
The man, the myth, the legend! At 2.31 meters, the late Bol is the tallest player of all time alongside Georghe Muresan – and reportedly only weighed 90 kilos. The Sudanese blocked an incredible 6.8 attempts per 36 minutes in his first NBA year and at the end of the season he was the first and only player to have more blocks (397) than points (298). There will probably never be a player like Bol again.
2024-02-11 08:18:00
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