22-and-Upside (5.5+ BPM Seasons for Players 22 and Under)

Since the1973-74 NBA season, only 27 times has a player had a season with a 5.5 Box Plus/Minus or better while being under the age of 22-years-old. This illustrious list features a who's-who of NBA legends: LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Bill Walton, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and many more. Chances are if you're on this list, you're going to become an all-time great... but what about those who peaked early in their career and never became legends. How or why did they fall off the all-time great trajectory?

On today's episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast we examine a few of those players including Alvan Adams, Elton Brand, John Drew and Andrei Kirilenko and see where they strayed off the path. 

We'll also look at recent players, including two this year—Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic—who may add their names to the illustrious list. 

Finally, we look at the inverse—players with -4.5 BPM or worse at age 22 or younger—and see how many, if any, turned their careers around and became all-time greats.