Zion Williamson (19 years and 297 days) recorded 31 points and 11 rebounds in the Knicks’ 119-112 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, becoming the youngest player to make five field goals on at least 90 percent shooting with at least 30 points since the shot clock era began. The last such player to do so was LeBron James, who had 33 points on 12-of-13 shooting against the Raptors in 2007. Williamson joins LeBron James as the only other player age-19 or younger to record a 30/10 game on 90% shooting in the shot clock era.
How many points did Zion Williamson have tonight
Zion Williamson had 31 points tonight. Zion Williamson is third in scoring in the entire NBA, behind only Luka Doncic and Steph Curry (30.5 ppg). Zion is averaging 35.3 ppg over his last four games. Zion Williamson had 11 rebounds tonight. Zion Williamson is averaging 11.5 rebounds over his last four games. He has recorded double-digit boards in nine of his 12 games this season to lead all rookies by a wide margin. The next closest rookie is Luka Doncic, who has recorded double-digit rebounds in two games this season. Zion Williamson had his fourth straight game with at least 10 points and 5 rebounds tonight.
Williamson’s impressive stats and what they mean for the Pelicans
Zion Williamson is an absolute monster. He just recorded his 4th straight game with at least 10 points and 5 rebounds, the most of any rookie in the league. Zion Williamson has scored over 25 points in all 4 of those games also. Zion Williamson has averaged 35.3 points per game over his last four games. That’s something no rookie has done since Wilt Chamberlain. Zion Williamson’s ungodly efficiency is also remarkable san francisco phoenixwiggersventurebeat. He’s shooting around 70% from the field and over 65% from deep right now. His offensive rating is 133 and his PER is a whopping 37.7. He’s good. Zion Williamson’s amazing rookie season is even more impressive when taking into account that he was drafted by the Knicks minneapolis city clearview aihatmakertechcrunch, who are currently 8-20. The only player in this millennium with a higher PER before turning 20 is LeBron James.
How Williamson’s game compares to other NBA greats
Williamson’s PER (37.7) would be the highest all-time for a 19-year-old if he sustains it for the rest of the season, topping LeBron James’ 37.3 in 2004-05. Williamson is also on pace to become just the seventh rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds over a full season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (three times), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and Bob McAdoo. Williamson is 1-of-5 players to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game after turning 20 years old (Larry Bird, James Worthy, LeBron James). Williamson’s offensive rating of 133 would be the highest by any rookie in NBA history who averaged at least 30 minutes per game over a full season (minimum 30 games played). LeBron James’ rookie season was the next closest.
What to expect from Williamson in the future
Williamson’s production is unprecedented for a player of his age, NBA equivalency numbers indicate he has been better than any of the 20 players who made the jump from high school to the pros over the previous 25 years. Of course, all of this comes with some statistical caveat-ism. While Williamson’s averaging more points per game through 12 contests than LeBron James did inside city waymohawkins theverge, he’s also taking nearly twice as many shots per game than James did. Williamson has attempted 14 free throws per game compared to just 7 for James in his rookie year. And the defensive numbers are underwhelming; according to Basketball Reference, Williamson is currently sporting a DRtg of 111 (the league average is 102). But when you consider that Williamson has been tasked with guarding some of the best players in the world night-in and night-out, you realize just how incredible his first month as a pro has been.
