Pelicans: Zion Williamson joins Michael Jordan at the top of elite list

Zion Williamson has been spectacular for the New Orleans Pelicans and is starting to put himself in rarefied air.

This is air populated by Air Jordan himself, as Zion Williamson is doing things we’ve not seen since Michael Jordan was dominating the league.

Zion is already in the running for All-NBA in just his second year, and made the All-Star game at age 20, placing himself among some of the elite of the game.

Zion Williamson hasn’t even played a full NBA season but is already drawing comparisons to some of the greats, even though the truth is that Zion is dominating in his own unique way.

There really hasn’t been a player exactly like him, but Zion is not going to shy away from comparisons to his hero Michael Jordan, who he grew up emulating as a kid. 

Zion recently joined his idol at the top of an elite list.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson and Michael Jordan

According to CBS Sports, Zion Williamson is now behind only Michael Jordan when it comes to scoring totals in the first 74 games of a career:

First off, it’s impressive that Zion Williamson is second on this list when you consider all of the great players that have been in the NBA in the last 50 years.

Secondly, these types of stats always find a way to leave Wilt Chamberlain off, which is a shame, as many young fans have no idea that he owns a ton of NBA records including this one if we are looking at the NBA in total.

Chamberlain averaged 37 points and 27 rebounds as a rookie, which is something we should not forget.

But if we are just looking at the modern game, Michael Jordan is obviously the benchmark for excellence and Zion Williamson is right behind him when it comes to total points, which says a lot, especially when you consider Jordan was two years older than Zion when he started in the league.

The Pelicans probably won’t make the playoffs this season but the future is bright and Zion Williamson looks like a generational superstar. Pelicans’ fans should stop arguing about “spacing” and whether Lonzo Ball is a point guard and pay attention to history.

Enjoy it, this is something you don’t get to see every year.