In Bird's rookie season, there was no championship at the end of the tunnel. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old played in all 82 games and contributed 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 36 minutes of play.

His first season did result in an All-Star appearance, thanks to a rate of .182 win shares per 48. He counted up a total of 11.2 win shares while piling up a league-leading 5.6 defensive win shares. Again, in his first go-around in the NBA.