New Orleans Pelicans: Forget Shaq, Zion is dominating in his own way

Ho hum, another day, another record for Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Zion is putting together a season for the history books, and it’s even more impressive that he is doing it at just 20-years-old.

After last night, Zion Williamson now has scored 20 or more points on 50 percent shooting or better in 20 straight games, dominance that we have not seen since a peak Shaquille O’Neal was controlling the league.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been up and down as a team but Zion just keeps getting better, adding nuance to his game as he is handling the ball more, becoming more of a facilitator and adding range to his jump shot.

But his real skill is dominating the paint, and we’ve not seen a guy do it like this in a long time, but is Shaq the right comparison for Zion Williamson?

New Orleans Pelicans: Forget Shaq, Zion is breaking molds

Ever since he came into the league, people have compared Zion Williamson to former and current greats including everyone from LeBron James, to Karl Malone, to Charles Barkley and now Shaq, but the truth is that there really hasn’t been anyone like him.

Zion is already a better ball handler and playmaker than Malone, Barkley and Shaq were at his age, as only Shaq was even in the NBA at age 20 and the other two were still in college.

Zion will likely never get to the level of LeBron when it comes to passing but we are talking about a guy who is arguably the best passer of all-time, so that is ok.

Shaq was far more dominant on the boards and defensively than Zion, but Zion is more versatile and talented on the offensive end and is improving on defense as well.

When you factor in his raw power, ability to finish at the rim and passing, there really isn’t a comparison for Zion, as he combines some of the best attributes of several all-time greats.

Zion has just six more games to beat Shaq’s record and from what we’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t bet against it.

Shaq may have been the more intimidating player physically, but Zion is just as dominant on the offensive end and will only keep getting better.

This is an exciting time to be a fan of the New Orleans Pelicans.