NBA fans had to wait for what seemed like an eternity to finally see No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson on the floor with the New Orleans Pelicans, but the former Duke superstar is now making a late run at the Rookie of the Year trophy with his new team.
Williamson posted a new career high of 32 points on Thursday night in a loss to the Thunder, and as we head to the All-Star break, Williamson’s Pelicans aren’t entirely out of the playoff race in the Western Conference. New Orleans is 5.5 games behind current 8-seed Memphis in the West, with the Trail Blazers and the Spurs sitting between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies in the standings. If Williamson continues to produce at the level he has, though, the Pelicans could be a dangerous team in the second half.
Zion’s new career high comes two nights after he dropped 31 points on the Trail Blazers. In the month of February, Williamson is averaging 25 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, along with 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals in 0.6 blocks per game.
Since making his debut on January 22nd, Williamson has now played in 10 career games, and he’s scored at least 20 points in eight of those starts. He’s the first rookie to score 20+ in eight of his first career 10 games since Michael Jordan during the 1984-85 NBA season.
LeBron James? Only scored 20+ in four of his first 10 games, and was held to single-figures in two. Kevin Durant? Broke the 20-point mark in 5 of his first 10. It’s looking like Zion Williamson is pretty good at this whole basketball thing.
