Zion Williamson is entering year six of his NBA career. It may not seem like it with the amount of time he missed during his first four seasons, but yes, it is indeed year six in New Orleans for Williamson.

In his first four seasons, Williamson showed the potential to be great but was not on the floor enough to truly realize his potential. He played 26, 61, 0, and 29 games, respectively during those years.

Last season, he was able to truly show us what he is capable of. The former Duke Blue Devil played 70 games while averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He was also efficient while putting up these numbers, shooting 57% from the floor.

In not so classic Zion fashion, he got injured at the worst time, while having the best game of his career. The New Orleans Pelicans were the seven seed going into the play-in tournament. They had to play against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The South Carolina native put the Pelicans on his back that night. He was truly unstoppable.

Williamson scored 40 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists while shooting 63% from the floor. He was showcasing his full greatness to the entire basketball world and then he hurt his hamstring.

This caused him to miss the next five games which were the last of the Pelicans season. So, the last image we have of Zion on the floor is putting up 40 points against the Lakers. This has raised expectations going into this season. Which it should, when you look at players of his caliber going into their sixth season.

Williamson is a former number one overall pick who came into the NBA with very high expectations. How did some of the other number one overall picks do in their sixth season?

LeBron James

It is not fair to compare any player to LeBron James, who has a strong argument to be considered the greatest basketball player of all-time.

Zion Williamson because of his potential and signs of greatness, will draw unfair comparisons.

James was already considered among the best players in the NBA, if not the best, prior to his sixth season. In year six, he solidified his spot in history by winning his first Most Valuable Player award.

The Akron, Ohio native averaged 28.4 points, 7.2 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in 81 games played. He also shot 48% from the floor and 34% from three.

He led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA, 66-16. James would also go on to perform very well in the playoffs, averaging 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game.

No reasonable basketball fan expects Williamson to put the same numbers that LeBron James did in year six but it shows you what the highest standard is.

Blake Griffin

Zion’s game is very comparable to Blake Griffin’s. Griffin sixth year in the NBA was the 2014-2015 season. He played in 67 games and averaged 21.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 50% from the floor.

The former Oklahoma Sooner finished eighth in MVP voting and was third team All-NBA. He helped lead the Los Angeles Clippers to the third best record in the western conference, 56-26.

The argument can be made that he played the best basketball of his career in the playoffs of that season. Griffin averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game in their 14 games.

Zion Williamson has already shown that he is more than capable of putting up similar numbers to what Griffin did in year six. Williamson just hasn’t had the chance to show what he can do in the playoffs yet.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is a former number one overall pick for the Pelicans. He had injury issues as well during his time in New Orleans but didn’t miss any where near the amount of time that Williamson did.

Davis’ sixth season was his best as a Pelican. He averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, while shooting 53% from the floor. The former Kentucky Wildcat lead the Pelicans to 48 wins during the regular season.

He was third in MVP voting, first team All-NBA, and first team All-Defense. Davis was a top five player in the NBA that season.

In the playoffs, Davis raised his game to another level. He averaged 30.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting 52% from the floor.

Davis helped lead the Pelicans to one of the biggest upsets in modern NBA history as the six seed, Pelicans swept the three seed, Portland Trailblazers.

Pelicans’ fans are very hungry for another moment like that and are looking to Zion to be the number one reason for that type of success.

Great Expectations

Zion Williamson, just like other number one overall picks, came into the NBA with very high expectations. Fans usually expect greatness right away from these players and that’s unfair. When evaluating players who come into the league at 18, 19 years old, fans and pundits, should not expect true greatness until years 4,5, or 6.

Williamson was able to show signs of greatness but due to injuries those signs were few and far between, prior to last season. Now, it’s time for Williamson to live up to those expectations.

What to expect this season

So, of course, the first goal for Zion is to stay healthy throughout the entire season and going into the playoffs. 75 games played would be amazing for this season.

The Pelicans have built the roster in a way for Williamson to thrive on offense. He should average at least 26 points per game on 55% shooting from the floor. This includes shooting maybe one or two, three pointers, and two to four mid-range jumpers per game.

Last season, he made 1,753 shots, 1,659 of those shots came within five feet of the basket. 94% of Zion’s made baskets came within five feet of the rim. The key to truly unlocking his game is to get that number down to between 80-85 percent.

Rebounding has been a weak spot for Williamson during his career. Now, to be fair to Zion, he was playing alongside excellent rebounders at the center position during his first five seasons. That will not be the case this season and Williamson’s rebounds should go up to seven or eight per game.

It is time for Zion to be great and greatness for him should include averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, while shooting 55% from the floor. He should be at least second team All-NBA and top 10 in MVP voting.