Zion Williamson performed his one centesimal profession NBA sport on Monday evening, a New Orleans Pelicans’ 105-101 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, because of a game-winning and-1 by Williamson within the last minute. His profession has been like a lightning bolt. You do not see him typically, however once you do he is spectacular.
It’s one of the dominant 100-game begins in league historical past and that is saying lots, contemplating that he was drafted in 2019 and he has by no means appeared in an NBA playoff sport.
But the numbers do not lie. He has the Tenth-most factors by any participant by 100 profession video games in NBA historical past, and essentially the most since Michael Jordan within the mid 80s. Prior to Jordan, not one of the different eight on the record have performed in over a half century. Williamson is actually doing issues that have not been completed in many years.
Most Points in First 100 Career Games in NBA History
Player
Team
Points
Seasons
Wilt Chamberlain
Philadelphia Warriors
3,748
1959-61
Walt Bellamy
Chicago Packers/Zephyrs
3,122
1961-63
Oscar Robertson
Cincinnati Royals
3,040
1960-62
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Milwaukee Bucks
2,943
1969-71
George Mikan
Minneapolis Lakers
2,879
1948-54
Rick Barry
Golden State Warriors
2,832
1965-67
Elvin Hayes
San Diego Rockets
2,797
1968-70
Michael Jordan
Chicago Bulls
2,721
1984-86
Elgin Baylor
Minneapolis Lakers
2,569
1958-60
Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans
2,524
2020-22
Williamson is the primary participant in NBA historical past with 25 ppg on 60 % taking pictures from the ground in his first 100 profession video games. He’s the fourth with these averages in any 100-game span for the reason that 1976-77 NBA-ABA Merger. The final to do that was Shaquille O’Neal.
25 PPG on 60% FG in 100-Game Span Since 1976-77 Merger
Player
Team
Seasons
Zion Williamson
Pelicans
2020-22
Shaquille O’Neal
Magic
1993-94
Charles Barkley
76ers
1989-91
Kevin McHale
Celtics
1986-88
Williamson’s common Game Score of 20.0 in his profession is the fourth-best by any participant by 100 profession video games, since Game Score numbers grew to become out there within the late Nineteen Seventies. Game Score measures a participant’s productiveness based mostly on the weighting of varied field rating statistics. 10 is a median sport whereas 40 is excellent, so if Zion’s common sport is 20, that is fairly spectacular. More spectacular is the corporate he is behind. David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal.
Highest Avg Game Score in First 100 Career Games
Player
Team
Game Score
Seasons
David Robinson
Spurs
22.5
1989-90
Michael Jordan
Bulls
21.5
1984-86
Shaquille O’Neal
Magic
20.0
1993-94
Zion Williamson
Pelicans
20.0
2020-22
Williamson has lived as much as the hype as a generational expertise with unparalleled abilities in a 6-foot-6, 280-pound physique, doing just about all his injury within the paint or on the charity stripe, with 97 % of his factors coming from a type of two spots. He’s dominating in every space at a historic tempo.
His paint scoring is the very best the league has seen since O’Neal. Williamson averaged 20.3 factors within the paint per sport in 2020-21, the best in a season since O’Neal in 1999-00, the season he led the league in scoring with 29.7 ppg.
Williamson has scored no less than 20 factors within the paint 50 occasions in his profession, or precisely half of his video games. The solely participant to do that extra since Willamson entered the league is Giannis Antetokoumpo, who has completed it 80 occasions, although in solely 39 % of his video games.
Most Games with 20 Paint Points Since 2019-20
Player
Team
Games
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks
80
Zion Williamson
Pelicans
50
Nikola Jokic
Nuggets
45
Ja Morant
Grizzlies
37
As you possibly can think about, with on a regular basis spent inside, he is earned his fair proportion of journeys to the road. Williamson’s 803 profession free throw makes an attempt are the sixth-most by any participant by 100 profession video games within the final 40 seasons behind David Robinson (998), Shaquille O’Neal (906), Michael Jordan (871), Alonzo Mourning (865) and Blake Griffin (829).
Zion’s greatest
Williamson’s greatest video games included a 39-point sport towards the Nuggets, a 13-14 taking pictures evening (93%) towards the Mavericks and 4 threes made in his NBA debut towards the Spurs.
Best Career Games
Category
Stat
Date
Opponent
Game quantity
Points
39
3/26/21
vs DEN
66
Rebounds
15
4/9/21
vs PHI
71
Off Rebounds
8
2/27/21
at SAS
56
PITP
32
4/11/21
at CLE
72
FG pct
93.3 %
2/12/21
at DAL
48
3-pt FG
4
1/22/20
vs SAS
1
FTM
13
2/25/20
at LAL
13
Steals
5
2/27/21
vs SAS
56
Minutes
41:54
5/1/21
at MIN
83
Game rating
36.4
3/26/21
vs DEN
66
Assists
8 ** (4 occasions)
11/28/22
vs OKC
100
Blocks
3 ** (3 occasions)
11/28/22
vs OKC
100
Something’s lacking
While his inside scoring presence is among the many greatest the league has seen this century, it will finally turn into a footnote if Williamson continues to be slowed down by accidents.
He’s missed 146 video games in his profession, principally attributable to a torn meniscus in his rookie yr and a Jones fracture in his proper foot final season. It’s the third-most video games missed on the time of his group’s one centesimal sport following being drafted as a No. 1 general decide, behind David Robinson (navy service) and Greg Oden (knee accidents).
Most Games Missed at Time of one centesimal Career Game – No. 1 Overall Pick in Modern Draft Era (Since 1966)
Player Team Games Missed Seasons
Player
Team
Games missed
Seasons
Greg Oden
Trail Blazers
440
2007-13
David Robinson
Spurs
164
1987-90
Zion Williamson
Pelicans
146
2019-22
In his greatest season thus far, 2020-21, Williamson grew to become the primary participant to rank prime 10 within the NBA in scoring and discipline aim proportion however miss the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992-93. Things are trying up in New Orleans although. The Pelicans have one of the prolific, younger scorers in NBA historical past and are 4 video games over .500 for the primary time with Williamson, who the group signed with a rookie max extension this offseason and have reinforcements coming. The Pelicans can swap first-round picks with the Lakers in 2023, when French teenage phenom Victor Wembanyama is predicted to be the No. 1 general decide. You by no means know, lightning might strike twice.
