Will Zion Williamson’s rookie season be remembered as a disappointment?

Taking a quick look at Zion Williamson’s rookie season and whether or not it will be remembered as a disappointment?

Entering the 2019-20 NBA season, one of the biggest storylines revolved around the debut of Zion Williamson, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft.

However, before his season could even get off the ground, it was announced that he would miss at least the first 6-8 weeks of the regular season due to a knee injury. Zion underwent right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Zion would end up missing much more than eight weeks and didn’t make his NBA debut until late January.

Thanks in part to the NBA’s hiatus, which is currently approaching month three, there’s a great chance that Zion’s rookie season is over. Should it be, that would mean that his rookie season only included 19 games.

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Even though Zion was extremely impressive in the 19 games, I can’t help but wonder how his rookie season is going to be remembered. Generally, because of injury or not, players whose rookie seasons, entering the league with an enormous amount of hype, are cut short are remembered as a disappointment.

Without holding any biases, Zion only playing in 19 games will likely be viewed as a disappointment. That’s what NBA history tells us. Zion was expected to break into the NBA and then somewhat dominate it. Entering the 2019 NBA Draft, he was being built up as the most hyped up draft picks since LeBron James.

Zion was supposed to be a franchise-changer and an unprecedented building block for any team selecting him. I’m not sure if only playing in 19 games during his rookie season dignifies the hype surrounding him.

Looking at his statistical impact, though, Zion’s rookie season will tell a different story. In the short stint he played, he averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game on 59 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent shooting from 3-point range (13 total attempts on the year).

Zion also had the best rookie Player Efficiency Rating (24.32) and was well on his way to potentially lifting the Pelicans into the playoffs. The Pelicans were 10-9 in the games in which Zion was healthy. They were also just 3.5 games back of the 8th seed in the Western Conference when the hiatus hit.

Before Zion made his debut for the team, the Pelicans had the NBA’s 18th ranked offense, 27th ranked defense, and the league’s 23rd best net rating (-3.3). After Zion’s debut, the results were encouraging. During the team’s last 19 games heading into the hiatus, the Pelicans improved to have the 11th best offense, seventh-best defense, and the league’s fifth-best net rating (4.3).

To say that the Pelicans were a different team with Zion in the lineup would be a massive understatement. Once he got healthy and was cleared, Zion was every bit the player that many expected him to be before the draft.

Perhaps even more meaningful, he was having an impact on the team that a generational talent should have. The big question is whether or not history will remember his rookie season in that light. Especially if the Pelicans miss the playoffs (assuming even if the 2019-20 NBA season resumes, it won’t include the final few games of the regular season), there won’t be much tangible evidence regarding the impact of Zion. He isn’t expected to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, either.

At least for the time being, it’s difficult to guague how history will remember Zion’s rookie season. Although, following up his promising rookie season with a historic sophomore season might be the next best thing.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in good hands moving forward. If Zion Williamson can remain healthy, there’s no question he will have the opportunity to go down as one of the all-time greats. However, that’s a big “if.”