The Index · Live

Zion Williamson New Orleans Pelicans · #1

Forward · 6'6", 284 lb · Salisbury, North Carolina · Age 26 · 6th season

Zion Williamson is an explosive All-Star forward for the New Orleans Pelicans — one of the NBA's most efficient high-volume scorers and a physical force at the rim. The No. 1 pick in 2019 out of Duke, the two-time All-Star averages around 24 points a game on roughly 59% shooting, but his career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries.

MVP race · #36Forward rank · #28Balladex Impact · 68
⚖ Quick compare
Z
Zion Williamson
◆ Rated
New Orleans Pelicans · #1 · Forward
Zion Williamson
Season avg21.0 pts · 5.7 reb · 3.2 ast · .600 fg
Career avg23.9 pts · 6.4 reb · 4.0 ast · .591 fg
Live win probabilityMavericks 65%
Balladex model · projected 122–118 · 100.3 pace
Tonight's projectionmodel
21.4pts
4.6reb
3.7ast
35%win
Tonight's matchup · who he'll mainly guardhead-to-head
Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans · Forward
C
vs
76
Cooper Flagg
Dallas Mavericks · Solid defender
Category breakout
Head-to-head history
Home/away splits from recent games; live grades from the DNA model.
LADDER#36 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 68 — Solid starter tierINDEXZion Williamson · New Orleans PelicansLADDER#36 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 68 — Solid starter tierINDEXZion Williamson · New Orleans Pelicans
Scouting report

Zion Williamson — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.

C+
Interior Force · Franchise Star · Impact 68
Zion Williamson is an explosive All-Star forward for the New Orleans Pelicans — one of the NBA's most efficient high-volume scorers and a physical for
C
Offense
C-
Defense
C
Feel / IQ
D
Playmaking
Below average creator
tap for the data ↓
B+
Scoring
Excellent scorer
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C
Rebounding
Average on the glass
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D
3PT / spacing
Below average spacing
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C
Perimeter D
Average on the perimeter
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D
Paint / rim D
Below average at the rim
tap for the data ↓
B
Clutch
Excellent late
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B
Athleticism
Strong tools
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C
Basketball IQ
Reads the game
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B+
Durability
Availability
tap for the data ↓
Act II

Where Zion Williamson stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
1
Nikola Jokić DEN▬
31%
2
Luka Doncic LAL▬
19%
3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC▬
8%
4
Giannis Antetokounmpo MIA▬
5%
5
Victor Wembanyama SAS▬
3%
6
Anthony Edwards MIN▬
3%
7
Jamal Murray DEN▬
2%
8
Tyrese Maxey PHI▬
2%
✦ Balladex Consensus: #61 of 384 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.
Futures & chases
<1%MVP odds
68Impact index
210Star score
Career scoring average23.9 ppg
Seasons in the index6
Accolades on file3
No. 1 Draft pick (2019) · 2× NBA All-Star
Stat explorer

Zion Williamson — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

B+
Scoring
21.0 PPG
drill in ↓
D
Playmaking
3.2 APG
drill in ↓
C
Rebounding
5.7 RPG
drill in ↓
D
Shooting
.250 3P%
drill in ↓
The engine

How the model sees Zion Williamson

Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2026-27  82% confidence
21.2
pts
19.4–23.0
5.7
reb
5.0–6.4
3.0
ast
2.5–3.5
29.7
min
proj
53
gp
health
.586
fg%
~base
.276
3p%
~base
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 6-season history below.
What moves the points line vs last season
Last season 21.0 → projected 21.2 PPG
Minutes / role
+0.0
Development (his trend)
-0.3
Age curve
+0.1
Live context
+0.4
Net vs last season+0.2 PPG
Everything it reads
📊
6 seasons of per-minute rates
every box line, minutes-normalized
real
⚖
Recency × games-played weight
recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Weighted least-squares trend
his own trajectory, read season over season
+dev
🕰
Per-stat aging curves
age 26 — applied per stat
curve
🔌
Live role context
usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present
+ctx
🏥
Durability signal
GP last 3: 70 / 30 / 62 → games & confidence
health
The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified

Zion Williamson career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2019-202427.822.56.32.1.583.429
2020-216133.227.07.23.7.611.294
2022-232933.026.07.04.6.608.368
2023-247031.522.95.85.0.570.333
2024-253028.624.67.25.3.567.231
2025-266229.721.05.73.2.600.250
Career27631.023.96.44.0
Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.
EraLab · the stat time machinenovel
Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.
—raw PPG
→
—in 2026 pace
why
Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart
Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.
Role simulatorpowered by GM engine
Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.
Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.
Context

Are the New Orleans Pelicans built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

30–52proj record
#11conf seed
-4.1net rtg
113.4off rtg
117.5def rtg
2%playoff odds
Roster delta · what changed
Aggressive hedge & help — Hedges hard on ball screens and rotates aggressive help from the weak side. Core trending improving. Defensive anchors: Herbert Jones, Derik Queen.
How his role moves
Projected 30–52, 11th in the West. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
68 of 99
Solid starter tier.
Rarity
◆ Rated
Collectible tier.
Résumé
3 accolades
No. 1 Draft pick (2019) · 2× NBA All-Star · 1× All-Rookie First Team (2020)
Act IV

The Ballad of Zion Williamson

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

Jul 6, 2000

The beginning

An explosive, physically dominant scoring forward — an efficient All-Star force for the Pelicans.

New Orleans Pelicans

Turning pro

Drafted 1st overall, 2019 as a Forward.

true

An explosive, physically dominant scoring forward — an efficient All-Star force for the Pelicans.

Chapter

A viral high-school dunker and Duke AP Player of the Year, Zion was drafted 1st overall in 2019.

Chapter

He broke out with 27 points a game in 2020-21 and became a two-time All-Star.

▶
▶
Williamson's story
The documentary, narrated
Highlights
▶
Walk-up: Zanos
Tap to play his entrance

Off the court

Measurables ESPN
Active
Height
6' 6"
Weight
284 lbs
College
Duke
Experience
7th Season
NBA debut
2019
Draft
1st overall, 2019
Born
Salisbury, North Carolina
Age
26
Jersey
#1
Beyond the game

Williamson's rise from a viral high-school dunker to the No. 1 pick and a Jordan Brand signature athlete is one of the most-watched modern basketball stories. An avid anime fan, he covered a month of arena employees' salaries during the 2020 shutdown, and he became a father in 2023. Off-court matters, including a 2025 civil lawsuit, are documented but unresolved and reported here only in passing.

His on-court identity is overwhelming, efficient interior scoring — an explosive downhill finisher with rare size, strength, and leaping ability who attacks the rim, draws fouls, and finishes through contact at a historic clip, with growing playmaking (a triple-double in 2025). His limited outside shooting and, above all, his durability are the defining variables of his career.

The person

An explosive, physically dominant scoring forward — elite finishing, foul-drawing, and force.

Physical forceA uniquely powerful downhill finisher at 6-foot-6, 280-plus.
Efficient scorerAround 24 points a game on roughly 59% shooting.
Durability watchA recurring injury pattern has capped his availability.
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ

Zion Williamson — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Zion Williamson, answered.

What makes Zion Williamson special?
Explosive, physically dominant interior scoring — a downhill finisher who scores around 24 points a game at a historically efficient near-59% clip.
What is the biggest question about Zion Williamson?
Durability — a recurring injury pattern (knee, foot, hamstring, back), including a full missed 2021-22 season, has repeatedly capped his availability.
Where did Zion Williamson play college basketball?
One dominant season at Duke, where he was AP National Player of the Year before New Orleans drafted him 1st overall in 2019.
Zion Williamson career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
✦ Companion
Ask about Zion Williamson

Availability & durability

games played vs season length
Career availability
58%
6 seasons
Last 3 seasons
66%
84 games missed
Games missed
196
career, schedule-adj.
Durability
Some risk
improving
Availability by season
24
19-20
61
20-21
29
22-23
70
23-24
30
24-25
62
25-26

Some risk. Availability trend is improving — 66% of games over the last three seasons, low of 33% in 2019-20.

Availability = games played ÷ season length (schedule-adjusted for lockout and COVID seasons). A durability signal from real game data, not a medical assessment.

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Zion Williamson head-to-head

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