No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson has been on a spectacular run since making his official NBA debut last month and is etching his name in the history books, as a result.
The New Orleans Pelicans rookie tied Carmelo Anthony on Tuesday night after recording his ninth consecutive game with at least 20 points as a teenager. Williamson is also just the fourth rookie in history to record 25 points in four straight games, according to Pelicans PR.
When factoring in points per minute, Williamson is on a historic pace.
Williamson is averaging 29.5 points per-36 minutes through his first 13 games, which ranks the highest of any rookie in NBA history, according to Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. That number would top the 23.7 points per-36 minutes by Luka Doncic last year.
For reference, his 29.5 points per-36 would top the likes of:
- Wilt Chamberlain: 29.2
- Joel Embiid: 28.7
- Michael Jordan: 26.5
Of course, the sample size for Williamson will end up being smaller than most of those players but his start thus far in the NBA has been nothing short of incredible. Williamson entered the NBA with very high expectations and it appears as though he is either matching them or exceeding them based on how he has played recently.
Williamson likely won’t steal the Rookie of the Year award from Ja Morant but his play should give the Pelicans and their fans a lot of hope for the future.
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