Ranking Zion Williamson Against all Rookies and Sophomores

The NBA is loaded with ascending talent, including New Orleans Pelicans’ rookie sensation Williamson, who just might be the best young player in the league.

Zion Williamson seems to set a new record every night for the New Orleans Pelicans, all while treating sold out crowds to highlight-reel dunks that seem to defy the laws of physics.

It’s an exciting time to be an NBA fan.

LeBron James is still thrilling spectators in his 17th season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is re-defining modern basketball, there is parity in the league that could lead to one of the most exciting and wide-open playoffs in years and there is more than enough young talent to go around.

Zion is getting most of the headlines, but the league has rarely had such a rich collection of young talent. The 2019-20 rookie and sophomore classes are loaded with future and present All-Stars and contain a couple of generational superstars who could end up being All-Time greats.

The Rookie of the Year title will likely go to Ja Morant, as Zion has not played enough games and Morant is currently leading his team to the playoffs, but it is doubtful you’d find many who didn’t rank Zion as the league’s best rookie.

With no offense to Morant, no player has had the impact of Zion Williamson. Williamson has been pouring in 23.6 points per game since returning to the New Orleans Pelicans from injury, including a streak of 13 games in a row of over 20 points.

He is adding 6.8 rebounds per game and teams have to completely adjust their game plan when they know Zion is going to be in town, which has given teammates Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram room to thrive for the surging New Orleans Pelicans.

Zion Williamson is certainly one of the league’s most exciting young players, but where does he rank against the best rookies and sophomores in the league?

Is the New Orleans Pelicans’ star rookie the best player of his generation?

Let’s take a look.

The International Five

The NBA has more international talent than it has ever had, including two players from the New Orleans Pelicans who represented the team in the Rising Stars Challenge. All of these players have been strong and unexpected contributors for their teams this season.

Nicolo Melli is the oldest player on this list. The 29-year-old rookie has gone ice-cold for the New Orleans Pelicans of late but prior to this streak he was one of their most important bench players.

Melli gets a ton of open looks now that Zion Williamson is garnering so much attention, and for most of the season he has knocked them down, hitting 36.1 percent for the year. Melli needs to find his stroke, but the Italian has proven he can be a strong contributor off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans.

In addition to having the NBA’s hardest name to spell, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has been a pleasant surprise in an otherwise miserable season for the Detroit Pistons.

Mykhailiuk does only one thing really well and that is shoot the 3-pointer, which he does at a 40.6 percent clip. Mykhailiuk still doesn’t defend his position that well, but he has good size, a quick release and one of the purest strokes in the league.

The Pistons like what they have in the Ukrainian, who was part of a trade for Reggie Bullock last season. It’s rapidly looking as if the Pistons may have gotten a steal and a young player who can be part of their core moving forward.

The fact that Nickeil Alexander-Walker hasn’t been able to get on the court is a testament to the depth of young talent on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Alexander-Walker’s season has not gone to plan, as he has been sent to the G-League and recently suffered an injury, but the New Orleans Pelicans are still high on the 21-year-old Canadian.

He started the season red-hot and it looked as though he was poised to make a solid contribution to the New Orleans Pelicans, but the combination of poor shooting and up-and-coming talents like Josh Hart and Frank Jackson relegated Alexander-Walker to mop-up duty before he was sent to the G-League.

With so much young talent to build around, the New Orleans Pelicans can afford to have patience with Alexander-Walker or look to trade him as part of a package in the offseason.

Josh Okogie adds some Nigerian flavor to the mix and has improved in nearly every category for the Timberwolves in his second season.

Okogie’s numbers won’t jump out at you. He is averaging just 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, but he has solidified Minnesota’s bench and is able to guard multiple positions on the perimeter.

Moritz Wagner has only played 36 games so far in his sophomore season, but he has flashed enough to make the Wizards excited, which is tough because Washington has very little to be excited about these days.

The 6-foot-11 German is 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 19 minutes a game. He’s not a great rim protector but he is an above average passer and has improved his 3-point shooting to 34.3 percent, which is not bad for a near seven-footer.

Two Older Rookies

These two players are proof that not all of the top prospects are still teenagers. Both players are having solid seasons and showing teams that they should not overlook guys just because they are over 20 when they enter the league.

When Eric Paschall was selected 41st in the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors he probably wouldn’t have dreamed he’d be playing this much.

Paschall has been a huge surprise for the Warriors, averaging 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for Golden State.

Paschall has taken his shot and run with it, chalking up a few big games, including a 34 point effort in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Paschall has shown that he belongs in the league and that he can contribute to the Warriors even after they get all of their players back from injury.

It may end up being Paschall and not Andrew Wiggins who is the best 25-or-younger talent on the team.

De’Andre Hunter has emerged as a key part of a very exciting young Atlanta Hawks team. The 22-year-old rookie is averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and has the length to guard multiple positions on the wing.

Hunter needs to improve his shooting, as he is knocking down just 40.8 percent from the field overall, but he does shoot 34.6 percent from 3-point range, and will likely be a solid 3-and-D contributor for the Hawks for years to come.

Hope for the Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have been stuck in mediocrity for so long that it is hard to imagine them any other way. They’ve been spinning their wheels forever and most expected this to continue after they let Kemba Walker escape in free agency.

But the Hornets finally have some talent to build around, including two up and coming forwards that should have fans excited in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Hornets had the 12th pick in back-to-back years and hope they used them to get their forwards of the future.

Rookie P.J. Washington has been solid, getting 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Washington has showed decent touch from behind the 3-point line, shooting 38.1 percent on just under four attempts per game.

There is finally some hope in Charlotte and Washington is a big part of that.

Small forward Miles Bridges has improved enough in his second season to warrant some look as the league’s Most Improved Player.

Bridges has nearly doubled his scoring average, getting 13.1 a game and has also improve his numbers in assists, rebounds and long-range shooting.

Neither Washington or Bridges are likely to be superstars in the NBA, but they have given the Hornets a solid foundation to build around and fans can finally see some light at the end of that long tunnel.

Making a Late Case

The next two players started slowly, but have been on a tear since All-Star break and are making a case that they should be higher on this list.

Rui Hachimura started the season on the bench for the Washington Wizards, but has since put up impressive numbers in his 40 games in the league.

Hachimura has averaged 13.4 points and 4.5 rebounds for the season, but has been picking up lately, averaging 15.3 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 assists over his last five games while shooting a scorching 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

Hachimura may have come on late, but the Japanese power forward has the combination of muscle and heart to stay in the league for a long time.

Coby White‘s hustle and swagger have already endeared him to fans in Chicago, but his play of late is getting them excited.

White has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break, averaging 25.7 points per game, including three 30+ point games in a row off the bench, which was a record for a rookie.

White’s shooting numbers are still not great, as he is averaging just 39.4 percent from the field overall, but his recent play is making the Bulls think they may have found one of their guards of the future.

If White can continue to improve his shot then the Bulls may finally have something to build around in Chicago.

The Shooter in Miami

The Miami Heat have been one of the surprise teams in the NBA this season and have done it behind strong play from their youngsters including the sharpshooting Tyler Herro.

Herro’s season has been all over the place, as he’s had huge games, but disappeared at times for the Heat.

Herro is averaging 13.1 points, four rebounds and two assists in his rookie campaign, but he does one thing that all teams in the NBA covet: shoot the ball.

Herro is averaging 39.3 percent from 3-point range on 5.5 attempts, numbers that should keep him in an NBA rotation for years to come.

Herro has drawn from sneers and jeers for his style of play. His been accused of being arrogant and opposing fans generally find a reason to boo him, but you can’t argue with the results.

The Miami Heat are likely to be a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference and Herro has been a big part of that. He makes the types of plays that contribute to winning basketball and has the chance to be one of the best 3-point shooters in the league.

Going to Work

Every team needs guys who don’t need the ball. Every team needs guys who do all of the little things to help the team win, things that often don’t show up in the score books, but are vitally important to team success.

These two guys grab their lunch pails every night and go to work.

Wendell Carter Jr. is not a household name and probably never will be. The Bulls’ center does not put up huge numbers, but does the types of things that will keep him in an NBA rotation for years to come.

He averages 11.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, not outstanding numbers, but he missed a good chunk of the season to injury. Prior to his injury, Carter Jr. was quietly putting together a nice season, recording 17 double-doubles in his first 36 games.

Carter Jr. doesn’t have great blocked shot numbers but he is a streaky rim protector and has blocked two or more shots nine time in his injury-shortened season.

It might be a surprise to find him this high on the list, but Carter Jr. is a solid and professional NBA player who can do things teams need.

The Memphis Grizzlies are the surprise team of the NBA this season and it’s largely because of the play of three guys on this list.

Brandon Clarke has been everything the Grizzlies hoped he would be when they traded the Oklahoma City Thunder for his draft rights.

Clarke is already a strong rebounder, grabbing 5.8 per game and can defend multiple positions well. He averages just 12 points and 1.4 assists, but Clarke is the model “glue guy” who does all of the little things that contribute to winning basketball.

At age 23, Clarke is one of the older players on this list, but has proven himself to be a valuable player and a winner. The Grizzlies could very well make the playoffs this year, but even if they don’t, they have one of the best young cores in the NBA and will be competing for years to come.

Is there hope in New York?

When 19-year-old R.J. Barrett was drafted by the Knicks he had “bust” written all over him. With so little success drafting guards, it seemed like Barrett might just be the next guard who couldn’t handle the lights of the Big Apple.

Then something strange started to happen: Barrett played well. Barrett came out of the gate gunning and hasn’t looked back.

Though his scoring numbers have been up and down, Barrett has flashed enough high-end scoring potential to have Knicks’ fans excited. He has posted 10 games of at least 20 points, including a career-best 27 against the Hawks.

Barrett is averaging 14.1 points, five rebounds and 2.6 assists for the season, but has blown up in his last few games, averaging 20 points per game on 50 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Barrett has the length with a 6-foot-10 wingspan to be one of the best shooting guards in the league, especially if he continues to improve from behind the arc, both in percentage and volume.

The New York Knicks’ fans are never happy and have had more off-the-court drama than usual, even for them, but one thing they can get excited about is R.J. Barrett, who is proving the Knicks finally made a smart choice when they nabbed him with the third pick.

The Undrafted Surprise

The Miami Heat’s eye for overlooked talent is one of the reasons they find themselves back in contention in the Eastern Conference and it starts with Kendrick Nunn.

Nunn went undrafted out of Oakland University after being dismissed from the University of Illinois for off the court issues.

These issues may have cost him a draft spot, as Nunn was first in the NCAA in 3-point shooting and second in scoring to Trae Young, traits that almost certainly would have gotten him drafted if not for question marks teams may have had about his character.

Nunn caught the Heat’s attention early after they signed him out of the G-League, scoring 40 points in a pre-season game and just kept going from there, setting a record for points scored by an undrafted player in his first five games.

Nunn has been a consistent scorer for the Heat, and has only failed to record double-digit scoring totals in 12 of his first 61 games.

Nunn’s unexpected offense has carried the Heat at times, as he’s scored 20 or more points 16 times and taken some of the scoring pressure off teammate Jimmy Butler.

Nunn is getting 15.5 points per game and up to 17.8 since the All-Star break. Maybe most importantly, he’s doing it at a discount, as he is earning $1.4 million in his first season with the Heat.

This type of low-cost production is one of the most valuable things in the NBA and will likely allow the Heat to supplement their team in the offseason via free agency or trade while still maintaining their depth.

Nunn has set a Heat record for most 3-pointers in a season and if he scores 20 points six more times he’ll pass Caron Butler for most such games a rookie.

Nunn is not the youngest player on this list at age 24, but he is a consistent volume scorer who is going to have a long career getting buckets in the NBA.

Confidence and Speed Matter

No player on this list has helped himself more than second-year guard Devonte’ Graham. Graham didn’t get much of a chance as a rookie, but since he’s been getting minutes, he’s made the most of it, averaging 17.8 points and 7.5 assists per game.

Considering Graham averaged just 4.7 points and 2.6 assists in his rookie campaign, he has to be one of the frontrunners for the Most Improved Player award.

Graham is a volume 3-point shooter who takes 9.2 attempts per game, knocking down 36.8 percent of them. He’s played particularly well over his last five games, averaging 20.6 per game, and it looks like the long-suffering Hornets finally have a trio of players to build around.

Graham is one of those players who just needed minutes and a boost of confidence to make the leap into the top ten young players in the game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are suffering another disappointing season in their post-LeBron James rebuild. They’ve played better of late, winning two in a row and five of their last 10, and are threatening to play their way out of contention for the number one pick.

This is mostly due to the play of Collin Sexton, who has been on an absolute tear. Over his last 30 games, Sexton has averaged 23.5 points per game, including recent games of 32 against the Jazz and 41 against the Celtics, hardly two of the league’s worst defensive teams.

Sexton is averaging 20.7 points per game his sophomore season on 38 percent shooting from 3-point range, but it’s Sexton’s blazing speed and ability to finish that have set him apart this season.

The Cavaliers are still one of the NBA’s worst teams, but Sexton has finally given them a young piece to build around.

The Start of Something in Memphis

When the Grizzlies drafted Jaren Jackson Jr. fourth overall in the 2018 draft, they probably didn’t imagine a realistic scenario where they’d be battling for a playoff spot in his second year.

Jackson Jr. has had an up and down second season and has dealt with recent injuries, but the 20-year-old power forward has proven that he is part of the foundation of a Grizzlies’ rebuild that has them smack in the middle of the playoff hunt in his sophomore campaign.

Jackson Jr. has upped his scoring average from the power forward/center position to 16.9 per game behind a huge improvement from 3-point range in both volume and accuracy. Jackson Jr. shoots 39.7 percent from long-range on 6.3 attempts per game, up from 35.9 percent on just 2.4 attempts in his rookie season.

This allows the Grizzlies to get a huge advantage when he is at the five spot, as he can pull opposing bigs out of the lane so teammate Ja Morant can go to work.

He is still not a plus rebounder at just 4.7 rebounds per game, but he protects the rim with 1.6 blocks a game and his ability to shoot the 3-pointer has changed the dynamic of the Grizzlies’ offense.

Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies are ahead of schedule in his second season and have a great chance of making the playoffs.

He and Morant form one of the best young duos in the league and people in Memphis couldn’t be more excited about the future for the Grizzlies.

Deandre Ayton is always going to be connected to the 2018 NBA draft and all of the guys the Phoenix Suns didn’t pick, including a couple of players yet to appear on this list.

Yes, the Suns missed their chance at a potential generational superstar. No, they didn’t draft Trae Young to pair with Devin Booker in what would have been the highest scoring backcourt with the worst defense in league history.

None of this is the fault of Ayton, who may not end up being worthy of the number one pick, but is still a very solid player in the NBA.

Ayton is a double-double machine, averaging 19 points, and 12 rebounds a game while adding 1.9 assists. He also protects the rim, blocking 1.7 shots per game.

Ayton has the kind of back-to-the-basket mid-range game that is rapidly going extinct in the NBA and the Suns might choose someone else if they could do it all again, but Ayton is solid and should improve as he increases his range as a shooter.

In another year this list could look so different that Ayton isn’t even on it, but for now he is a near 7-footer who can be counted on to get 20 and 10 just about every night and that still has value in the NBA.

The Thunder Not Missing a Beat

When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded superstar Paul George for a couple of players and a slew of picks, it was assumed it was time for a rebuild and that Chris Paul would likely be traded next.

Someone forgot to tell Paul and the Thunder, who are currently the five seed in the West and rank high on the list of teams no one wants to play in the playoffs.

Oklahoma City has found success behind unconventional lineups that sometimes feature three point guards. The biggest reason for this versatility is the all-around play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has quietly become one of the best young players in the league.

Gilgeous-Alexander possesses a deep bag of offensive weapons and can finish in traffic creatively with both hands.

He’s averaging 19.3 points per game and his pick-and-roll with Paul has become one of the best in the league.

He also grabs 6.1 rebounds per game, which allows the Thunder to put out their three-guard lineup without getting killed on the boards. He posted an insane 20 point, 20 rebound, 10 assist triple-double against the Timberwolves that showcased the potential of his all-around talent.

Paul is playing with more happiness than he’s had in years, the Thunder are one of the NBA’s best crunch time teams and are going to be a handful for whoever gets the unlucky draw in the playoffs.

Their retooling has been quick and painless post-George and that is mostly because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Overshadowed in Memphis

Ja Morant should be the biggest story in the NBA. After all, the rookie has led the Memphis Grizzlies back from oblivion, has his team poised to make the playoffs and is doing it behind electrifying play.

Morant is averaging 17.6 points, seven assists and 3.5 rebounds a game and doing it in exciting fashion. He’s so fun to watch that even his missed dunks become highlights:

He’s put the young Grizzlies team on his back and is the primary reason they are in playoff contention this late in the season.

Unfortunately for Morant he entered the league in the same year as Zion Williamson. Zion was the consensus number one player and Morant was supposed to be an afterthought in Williamson’s Rookie of the Year campaign.

When Zion Williamson went down with an injury, Morant seized the moment and didn’t look back. Morant was the darling of the league until Zion returned and suddenly everyone was asking how many games a player had to play to be eligible for Rookie of the Year.

It’s a bad situation for Morant, who has been spectacular, and deserves to win the award based on the fact that he’s played the entire season at a high level and Zion Williamson hasn’t.

Morant’s award will always have an asterisk because of what Zion Williamson has done since rejoining the New Orleans Pelicans.

Morant’s sensational rookie season has been overshadowed by Zion Williamson, but he can get the last laugh by getting his team to the playoffs while the New Orleans Pelicans watch from home.

Memphis has two more matchups with the New Orleans Pelicans and Morant is keen to show that his award is legit and he, not Zion Williamson, is the best rookie.

Trae Young is the perfect example of how stats don’t always translate to wins. The Atlanta Hawks are still one of the NBA’s worst teams, but Young is putting up numbers that put him in rarefied air in the NBA.

Young’s 3-point shooting has improved in year two, as he is now hitting 35.5 percent on 9.4 attempts per game, up from 32.4 percent on six attempts in his rookie campaign.

Young is averaging 29.4 points per game, good for fourth best in the league and his 9.2 assists per game are second only to LeBron.

He still doesn’t defend well, or at all sometimes, but when you can score nearly 30 points and drop 10 assists per game you don’t have to.

Young started the All-Star game and will certainly get some votes for the All-NBA team, though it will be interesting to see if voters penalize him for his lack of team success.

Atlanta is tied for last in the Eastern Conference and it might be difficult to overlook when being judged against point guards whose teams are in the playoffs but Young is special either way.

This leaves the final two: Will Zion Williamson claim the number one spot for the New Orleans Pelicans?

Big Man in the Big Easy

All numbers aside, Zion Williamson has captivated the NBA world in ways that few players ever have.

He is a physical freak whose combination of strength and explosive leaping ability made him a legend before he even got to the NBA.

Since he returned to the New Orleans Pelicans after an injury to his knee, Zion has been everything he was billed to be, pouring in 23.6 points a game while adding 6.8 rebounds.

But it is not just the numbers. Zion Williamson forces the other team to game plan around him and affects the game in myriad ways that don’t turn up in the scorecard.

When Zion is flying down the court, all attention is turned to him, which often leads to wide-open layups for his teammates. And if the opposing team does not get back on defense, then he’ll get out for a dunk.

The Lonzo Ball to Zion Williamson alley-oop is already one of the most exciting plays in the NBA and the two are just beginning to scrape the surface of their potential together.

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1236781748010311682

Zion is not a perfect player by any means. He has gotten fatigued late in games, doesn’t have much of an arsenal on offense and could move his feet better defensively.

But what he can do is dominate the post and run the floor like no one we’ve ever seen and he is still just 19 years old. If Zion Williamson can stay healthy he has the chance to be a generational superstar.

If you were going to start a team, Zion would be near the top of the list of young players to build around and would be the number one young player if it weren’t for the next guy.

The Do-Everything Point Guard

No offense to Zion Williamson or the rest of the players on this list, but Luka Doncic is the best young player in the league and it’s not really close.

If you were going to build a modern NBA point guard in a laboratory, you’d probably just clone Luka Doncic, whose combination of size and skill makes him unique in the league and nearly unstoppable.

Doncic is a 6-foot-7, 220 lb. point guard who scores 28.5 points per game while getting 9.4 rebounds and 8.7 assist. He’s a walking triple-double who already has 22 in his young career, including a 30 point, 17 rebound, 10 assist masterpiece against the New Orleans Pelicans last week.

Doncic is a magician with the ball and always seems to make the right play, whether he is setting up teammates or hitting one of his signature step-back 3-pointers. Doncic has a feel for the moment and a knack for hitting high degree of difficulty shots, like this dagger he hit against the New Orleans Pelicans:

Every night he seems to do something unheard of and in just his second year he has the Dallas Mavericks in the seven seed just behind the Rockets and ready to make some noise.

Luka Doncic is already making every NBA team that passed on him regret that decision and he he just turned 21 years old.

The New Orleans Pelicans are certainly happy with their guy Zion Williamson and it will be fun to see this head-to-head matchup with Luka for many years to come.

The young talent on this list ensures that the NBA is in good hands for years to come.