Zion Williamson Is One of the Most Dominant Scorers in the NBA

Zion Williamson is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA. Coming out of college in 2019, he was seen as one of the best prospects since LeBron James. Many people, myself included, had high expectations for him and his future. He only played twenty-four games during his rookie season due to injury, but he has ascended to new heights this year.

Just sixty-eight games into his career, Zion has already become one of the most dominant scorers in the NBA. Of course, he hasn’t played professional basketball very long and he still has a ways to go before becoming a great all-around player, but it looks like he’s going to meet and possibly exceed his lofty pre-draft expectations.

I want to discuss what Zion Williamson has done this season and how he’s become such a dominant offensive force at just twenty years old. Through forty-four games this season, he’s averaging 29 points, 4 assists, and 8 rebounds per 75 possessions. He isn’t an outlier playmaker or rebounder, but what does pop about his per possession numbers is his scoring prowess.

He currently ranks 6th in the NBA in points per possession. He’s up there with elite scorers such as Bradley Beal, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pretty good company, right?

I believe there’s an argument to be made that he’s been the best scorer in the NBA this season. He’s top six in points per possession and while also being top six in true shooting percentage. His true shooting percentage is 66.2%, which is on par with star big men like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Rudy Gobert. His scoring efficiency is truly special.

I must admit, he isn’t the most versatile scorer, shooting around 74% of his shots from 0-3 feet, but his finishing is historically good. From 1996-2021, 43 players have shot at least 69% on at least 500 attempts from 0-3 feet. Zion Williamson ranks 40th, but as he attempts more shots from that area this season, he may reach a level of finishing that we haven’t seen before.

Zion has attempted 527 shots from 0-3 feet this season. He’s averaging 12 attempts per game from this area and if he keeps up this pace, he’ll amass 863 total attempts from 0-3 feet. If he keeps up this volume, he’ll be the first player since 1996 to attempt at least 750 shots from around the basket. Zion isn’t shooting a historically high percentage at the rim, but he is getting to the hoop at an insane rate.

BBall Index agrees that Zion is an elite finisher and according to their player profiles, he is in the top 10% of all NBA players in terms of how often he generates attempts at the rim. Per 75 possessions, Zion is averaging 13 adjusted drives (91st percentile), 14.7 total shots at the rim (100th percentile), and 9.1 unassisted rim attempts (100th percentile). He also has a “Getting to Rim” rating of +4.5 which is in the 100th percentile.

I mentioned earlier that Zion isn’t shooting historically well once he gets to the rim, but that doesn’t mean he’s shooting poorly around the basket. His adjusted field goal percentage at the rim is 67.43% (87th percentile) and his “Finishing at Rim” rating is +4.1 (99th percentile). Overall, he is the best finisher in the NBA, as BBall Index gives him an overall finishing talent of +4.3 which is in the 100th percentile.

Zion is unreal as a finisher, but how he gets there is impressive as well. He can beat defenders off the dribble, score in the post, and he excels as the roll man in pick and rolls.

His isolation numbers are extremely impressive. According to synergy, he’s averaging 1.04 points per possession in isolation which is in the 96th percentile. He gets a lot of opportunities to operate one-on-one as he averages 6.2 total isolations per 75 possessions. Once he gets into a one-on-one situation, his impact is undeniable. His total iso impact per 75 possessions is +0.6 (94th percentile). He is very efficient in these sets as well as his effective field goal percentage is 53.7%.

These numbers are crazy considering Zion is a big man who can’t really shoot.

Post Zion is an animal as well, and the paint is where he does most of his damage. Most of his touches come in the paint as he averages 7.9 touches per 75 possessions. He draws a lot of fouls while battling down low and his total impact on post-ups (+0.2 per 75 possessions) is awesome. His dominance down low also unlocks his playmaking ability and allows his teammates to get open for open shots. A whopping 92% of his post possessions yield a scoring opportunity for his teammates.

It’s rare for Zion to be used as a roller in pick and rolls (1.2 roll man possessions per 75 total possessions), but he is very effective in these situations. He only has a total roll impact of +0.14 because he isn’t very effective popping or slipping, but he is great as a roller. His role impact per 75 possessions is +0.18 which is in the 90th percentile. His rim gravity is elite as well and this allows his teammates to get open without the ball in their hands.

Zion isn’t an extremely productive passer, but his playmaking is very underrated. He has a passing efficiency of 3.75 (99th percentile) and the threat of what he can do as a finisher opens up opportunities for his teammates. This is reflected in his 1.6 scoring impact.

Obviously, Zion isn’t the perfect player. He doesn’t have a reliable jump shot, his playmaking chops haven’t been fully unlocked yet, and right now he is a negative defender. He has a ways to go before his skill set as an offensive engine is complete and he becomes a decent defender, but that will come soon enough. We have to remember that he’s just twenty years old.

Zion Williamson is such an interesting player. He is an unstoppable scorer, yet he can’t shoot. You can’t just pack the paint and force him to take jump shots though, because he’ll simply go around you. I honestly don’t know if we’ve ever seen a player quite like him.

What’s truly terrifying is he can and probably will get better. As he becomes the engine of the Pelicans’ offense and begins dominating the basketball, I believe we’ll see him reach new heights as both a scorer and a playmaker. He’s already an efficient passer, he just needs more opportunities to get his teammates involved. I can’t wait to see him develop even more, because I believe he has the potential to be an All-NBA level player someday.