Nine NBA games is an extremely small sample size to lean on when gushing about a rookie sensation.
But not every rookie sensation is Zion Williamson.
And in the first nine games of his career after his debut was delayed due to knee surgery, the New Orleans Pelicans stud has already shown why he has more than a good chance of becoming a star in this league. No guarantees, of course, but the future is bright.
So with the All-Star break upon us, let’s look back on the first few games he’s played and the incredible things he’s doing as a first-year player.
1. His shot chart is wild
We saw this in the preseason and we’re seeing it now:
the best way to explain zion williamson is by looking at his shot chart
how do you describe this to anyone who asks what kind of player he is pic.twitter.com/SnfFgtElZQ
— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) February 12, 2020
2. He’s doing things only two other rookies have done
Here's a list of every rookie to average 28 points and 10 rebounds per 36 pic.twitter.com/WP7xCphXVg
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) February 12, 2020
3. He’s doing things only two other rookies have done, Part II
Zion Williamson is the 3rd player with seven 20-point games in his first 10 career games over the last 30 seasons. He joins Grant Hill and Shaquille O'Neal (also 7).
He is the only player in that span to record seven 20-point games in his first 9 career games. pic.twitter.com/VUhyp56ebP
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2020
4. Zion is doing off-the-wall stuff in limited time
Last night, Zion Williamson became the 1st rookie since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger to compile a 30-pt, 5-reb, 5-ast game in 30 or fewer minutes.
The last rookie to achieve that feat was Knicks' Cazzie Russell in 1966.
(h/t @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/5OgNpixOKq
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2020
5. His Rookie of the Year odds were low while he was injured
This doesn’t have a ton to do with him, but it sort of does. ESPN’s Zion odds tracker tells us Ja Morant was minus-1000 in January and Williamson was plus-1600. Now? Per BetMGM, the gap has closed. Morant is minus-500 to win ROY and Williamson is just plus-400.
6. He’s doing all of this before he’s turned 20 years old
Zion Williamson is just the sixth teenager in NBA history to record five consecutive 20-point games, joining:
* LeBron James
* Carmelo Anthony
* Kyrie Irving
* Andrew Wiggins
* Luka DoncicHowever, none of those players did so within the first nine games of their career. pic.twitter.com/ts0stO0zhk
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 12, 2020
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