NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year

NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 20. Larry Johnson

The two top contenders for Rookie of the Year in 1992 were like fire-and-water. Fans of offense were intrigued by the high-flying Larry Johnson, whose dunks were legendary. Fans of defense loved the rim protection of Dikembe Mutombo, who even as a rookie, averaged three blocks per game. Johnson won out, winning Rookie of the Year over Mutombo in a race that ultimately wasn’t all-that-close.

Johnson made a name for himself at UNLV, leading them to two consecutive Final Four appearances and the 1990 National Championship. He didn’t lose any momentum after the Charlotte Hornets drafted him first overall, dropping 19.2 points and 11 rebounds as a rookie. The following year he led the league in minutes and put up a career-best 22.1 points per game. Following that season, he made his first (and only) All-NBA appearance.

In five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, he would make two All-Star teams and average 19.6 points. He played another five seasons with the New York Knicks as he faded into more of a role player but still kept those rim attacks in his arsenal to unleash from time to time. Despite playing just ten seasons overall he made the postseason six different times and played in a total of 66 postseason games, reaching the NBA Finals in 1999.

Between Johnson and Mutumbo, the finger-wagging defensive mountain had the better career. After Dikembe, however, Johnson has a reasonable case for the second-best player in his rookie class, alongside longtime NBA veterans Steve Smith and Dale Davis.