As the season concludes, the top five basic statistical leaderboards are as follows:
Scoring Leaderboard (Per Game) Top 10:
Allen Iverson (31.4 points), Shaquille O'Neal (27.2 points), Paul Pierce (26.1 points), Tracy McGrady (25.6 points), Tim Duncan (25.5 points), Kobe Bryant (25.2 points), Link (25.1 points), Vince Carter (24.7 points), Michael Jordan (24.1 points), Dirk Nowitzki (23.4 points).
As a rookie, Link ranked seventh on the scoring list. Michael Jordan ranked ninth, which was 1.2 points higher than the 22.9 points per game in his previous life; not only that, his field goal percentage was also 5% higher.
Link and Michael Jordan were also the one of the only duos in the league from the same team to enter the top ten of the scoring list simultaneously; that's right, the only other team was the Los Angeles Lakers with the duo of O'Neal and Kobe.
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Rebounding Leaderboard (Per Game) Top 10:
Ben Wallace (13.0), Tim Duncan (12.7), Kevin Garnett (12.1), Danny Fortson (11.7), Elton Brand (11.6), Dikembe Mutombo (10.8), Shaquille O'Neal (10.7), Jermaine O'Neal (10.5), Dirk Nowitzki (9.9), Shawn Marion (9.9).
Naturally, Link wasn't on the rebounding list, and neither were any other Washington Wizards players. However, Link's average rebounds were as high as 7.1 per game, which was more than many teams' starting Power Forwards. The team's Center, Brendan Haywood, averaged 7.5, and Randolph averaged 5.8.
Although no Washington Wizards player entered the Top 10 for rebounding, the team's average rebounds per game ranked third in the league.
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Assists Leaderboard (Per Game) Top 10:
Andre Miller (10.9), Jason Kidd (9.9), Gary Payton (9.0), Baron Davis (8.5), Link (8.4), John Stockton (8.2), Stephon Marbury (8.1), Jamal Tinsley (8.1), Jason Williams (8.0), Mark Jackson (7.4).
Link ranked fifth on the assist leaderboard.
Like Link, Jamal Tinsley, a fellow rookie from the class of '01, also made it onto this list.
However, Steve Nash... Link searched several times but didn't see his name.
"It doesn't make sense. Even though I appeared out of nowhere and took a spot, in my previous life, Steve Nash averaged 7.7 assists this season. Logically, he should have replaced Mark Jackson in the Top 10."
"Oh... I suddenly remember. Ever since I sowed discord—cough, cough... no, ever since I helped him awaken, Nash has been completely immune to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's PUA. He's also grown distant from his other teammates, which has seriously affected his assist numbers... they dropped from 7.7 to 6.4."
"With these assist numbers, forget the top ten, he couldn't even make the top twenty."
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Blocks Leaderboard (Per Game) Top 10:
Ben Wallace (3.5), Raef LaFrentz (2.7), Alonzo Mourning (2.5), Tim Duncan (2.4), Dikembe Mutombo (2.4), Jermaine O'Neal (2.3), Erick Dampier (2.3), Adonal Foyle (2.1), Pau Gasol (2.1), and Brendan Haywood (2.0).
There were two rookies from the class of '01 on this Blocks leaderboard: the Grizzlies' rookie Pau Gasol in ninth, and the Washington Wizards' rookie Brendan Haywood in tenth.
The original tenth place for Blocks was Shaquille O'Neal. Although he also averaged 2.0 per game, Haywood had a higher total number of Blocks. After all, the massive O'Neal coasted heavily during the regular season.
In his rookie season, Brendan Haywood's shot-blocking instincts and defensive choices weren't actually that good, but he couldn't resist Link's 'feeding.' Link would lure—er, or rather, force—the ball handler into Haywood's defensive zone. This way, Haywood's 213cm height and 120kg weight could be fully utilized.
As a side note, Link, playing Point Guard, averaged 0.9 Blocks. Er... mainly because he was held back during the first half of the season, often finishing games without any Block stats.
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Steals Leaderboard (Per Game) Top 10:
Allen Iverson (2.8), Link (2.5), Jason Kidd (2.1), Baron Davis (2.1), Doug Christie (2.1), Darrell Armstrong (1.9), Karl Malone (1.9), Paul Pierce (1.9), Kenny Anderson (1.9), and John Stockton (1.9).
Iverson retained his title as the Steals King this season, while Link earned the title of 'Little Steals King'.
Of course, defensive stats like Steals and Blocks often don't reflect a player's true defensive level. For example, although Iverson is the Steals King, he is also a defensive black hole for his team, often giving the opponent 4-on-5 opportunities because of his gambling Steals.
Link's overall defensive ability is definitely elite within the NBA, but he can't guard the small, quick, and agile types. Additionally, his Interior Defense far exceeds his Perimeter Defense. Giving him a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team wouldn't be a big problem. However, given his defensive performance in the first half of the regular season, the Second Team is still up in the air...
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Link averaged 25.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 0.9 Blocks, and 2.5 Steals, becoming the third player in NBA history to achieve a '20+5+5' season as a rookie. The first two were Oscar Robertson in the 1960-1961 season and Michael Jordan in the 1984-1985 season.
Of course, being able to do 20+5+5 in a rookie season doesn't guarantee becoming a superstar in the future—take Tyreke Evans, for example.
Among the '01 rookies, many were late bloomers. To be honest, there was no one currently capable of competing with Link for rookie of the year. The only one barely qualified to challenge Link was the Grizzlies' star player, Pau Gasol.
Pau Gasol averaged 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 Blocks, and 0.5 Steals.
To be fair, not only were his stats a tier below Link's, but the team's record was even more disastrous at 23-59, ranking second to last in the Western Conference, barely edging out the 21-61 Golden State Warriors.
Right...
Most importantly, Link would 'go off' every time he faced the Grizzlies. Pau Gasol was like a targeting scope for Link.
The media joked that Link, as the number one draft pick, seemed to have a 'bloodline suppression' over the third overall pick, Pau Gasol.
Link could only laugh helplessly at this. Well, there was nothing he could do; if Pau Gasol wanted to blame someone, he should blame his own personality badge—[Strongest Background Board].
In reality, the suspense for ROY (rookie of the year) had completely vanished after the All-Star break. Pau Gasol had absolutely no chance of winning.