7. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor (1961-62) – 20.8 combined win shares, 24.6 average PER
When the Lakers franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1961, they brought two star players along with them, and Baylor was already at an elite level at that point in his career. West, on the other hand, was just a rookie but he was the second overall pick of the 1960 NBA draft.
In their first season in Los Angeles they had a below .500 record but somehow finished second in the Western Conference because there were only four teams in each conference at the time. The Lakers had the fifth-best record in the league and they were carried to the playoffs by Elgin Baylor‘s legendary season.
The numbers he put up in this season were simply incredible as he averaged 34.8 points, 19.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists a game that season, a stat line that would be practically impossible to replicate in today’s NBA. It is crazy that this impressive stat line was not enough to win him the MVP award over Bill Russell, who posted a somewhat lesser stat line of 16.9 points, 23.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Jerry West also had an impressive rookie season, averaging 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He was also beaten out for a postseason award as well by Oscar Robertson, who won rookie of the year with a 30.5 point, 10.1 rebound, and 9.7 assists.