Making a statistical comparison between Shaquille O'Neal and Zion Willamson's first 2 years in the NBA
Shaquille O'Neal and Zion Williamson are two-of-a-kind athletes that the NBA has rarely seen in its history. The former is an unstoppable Hall-of-Fame giant with deceptive mobility. The latter is a budding star with an unmatched blend of speed and power. While Shaq is now a legend of the sport, Williamson is still looking to build his legacy.
Due to their freakish athleticism and for being drafted as the No.1 overall pick in their respective draft years, comparisons are inevitable. At this point in Zion Williamson’s career, it is already a great honor for him to be measured side by side with Shaquille O'Neal’s legendary career.
Zion Williamson leads the NBA by averaging 19.7 points per game in the paint.
The last player to average more than that was Shaq in 2001-02 https://t.co/QuSEcyeYtR
Only the first two years will be the basis of the comparison as the former Duke standout has not played a single game this season. It’s about time to check how Zion’s number stack up against one of the best to ever play in the NBA.
Shaquille O'Neal and Zion Williamson by the numbers
Games Played
As they say, availability is sometimes the best ability. Shaquille O'Neal played an incredible 162 games out of a possible 164 in his first two years in the NBA. He started for the Orlando Magic in both his rookie and sophomore seasons.
Back when load management wasn’t yet invented in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal laced up his sneakers every time he was available. Shaq led the Magic in games played in his first year and second in his second season. Combined, no one played more than him in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons for the Orlando Magic.
Zion Williamson’s much-awaited debut took longer than expected as he sustained a knee injury in the preseason. The heavy favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award played only 24 games in the 2019-20 campaign, which was partly why he lost the award to Ja Morant.
“Zanos” was healthier in his second year, playing 61 out of 82 games, which allowed him to nab an All-Star selection. At 20 years and 244 days, he was the fourth youngest to be selected to the NBA’s mid-year bonanza. LaMelo Ball would later edge past him on the list this season at 20 years and 182 days.
Zion Williamson is making a positive step in his recovery from a foot injury trib.al/HisWj40
Williamson’s spectacular All-Star sophomore year gave the NBA a taste of what he can do. Unfortunately, the league is still waiting for more as he hasn’t played a game this season.
Points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks
![Shaquille O'Neal piled up impressive numbers in each of his first two seasons in the NBA. [Photo: GQ]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/03/3a67c-16465059447764-1920.jpg)
The Big Diesel, in his first two years, averaged 26.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, .8 steals and 3.2 blocks. At 7’2 and 350 lbs., Shaquille O'Neal was an immovable object inside the painted area. Oftentimes, teams would send their entire starting unit to contain his forceful inside moves.
For a man his size, Shaq was also quite nimble on his feet. He gets up and down the court easily for fast breaks and can stay on top of guards when switched on pick and roll. Many of his blocks regularly got oohs and aahs out of the crowd.
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson entered the league in the 2019-20 season after playing one year for Duke University. Williamson’s draft entry was one of the most anticipated in the last several years. Even before playing a minute of pro basketball, fans were already salivating at what he could do to make the New Orleans Pelicans relevant again.
In his first two years, Zion Williamson tallied 25.7 points, 7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, .9 steals and .6 blocks. He didn’t play the first half of the season in his rookie year due to a preseason knee injury. His scoring jumped from 22.5 in his first year to 27 in his second, which was a big reason why he made it to the All-Star team.
Without a doubt, Shaq’s raw numbers are so much more impressive than Zion’s.
Team Impact
As a No. 1 overall pick, expectations were high on both Shaquille O'Neal and Zion Williamson to bring drastic improvements to the teams that drafted them. Before Shaq entered the league, the Orlando Magic had a dismal 21-61 record. Orlando improved by 20 wins in “The Diesel’s” first year and almost made it to the postseason.
By his sophomore season and with the emergence of Anfernee Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal dragged the Magic to a 50-32 record, the fourth-best in the Eastern Conference. It was the first postseason berth for the young Orlando team. Orlando became a power in the East as long as Shaq was in the lineup.
The New Orleans Pelicans had a 33-49 slate before Zion Williamson’s NBA debut. New Orleans fell to 30-42 in the then 19-year-old rookie’s initial season. The team could have had a better record had he been able to play more than the 24 games he played.
In 1993, after missing the playoffs because of a tie-breaker, the Orlando Magic won the #1 pick for the 2nd year in a row. They drafted Chris Webber then traded him for Shaq's 'Blue Chips' co-star, Penny Hardaway.
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With Zion Williamson healthier and playing more games, the New Orleans Pelicans still limped to a 31-41 record. Both years, they were not a serious threat to grab one of the eight available playoff slots in the Western Conference.
Shaq had, arguably, the stronger team, but he was also the biggest reason why the Orlando Magic went from losers to eventually an NBA Finalist.
It remains to be seen what Zion Williamson can do to help the New Orleans Pelicans end their long postseason drought. They have been on a tear in the last few games and could make a push for a play-in spot at the expense of LeBron James and the bumbling LA Lakers.