🏀Front Office2026-27
 
New Orleans Pelicans
82
OVR

Zion Williamson

New Orleans Pelicans · #1 · Plus starter
PF6'6"284 lbage 257 yrs expDukeSalisbury, NC
1st best of 13 on NOPworth +5.4 wins to the rotation
OFF85DEF73
Elite scorer & interior finisher
NOP
New Orleans Pelicans
Western · Southwest · proj. 34-48 (▼1.7)
2× All-Star

A freight train in the paint and one of the most efficient forces in the league when healthy — 21 a night on a blistering 64.4% true shooting, drawing fouls at a near-elite rate (99th percentile) and finishing inside at 60%. The jumper still isn't there (25% from three), and durability remains the question after 62 games, but few players bend a defense like he does.

21
PPG
5.7
RPG
3.2
APG
1
SPG
0.5
BPG
GP 62MPG 29.7FG% 603P% 25FT% 71.6TS% 64.4USG% 25.7PER 22.6BPM +2.9VORP 2.3EPM +2.4
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Scoring95
Inside finishing89
Playmaking81
Rim protection79
Rebounding76
Perimeter defense73
Shooting56

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2019-20 to 2025-26 · 6 seasons
23.8
PPG
6.4
RPG
4.1
APG
276
GAMES
Points 6,581Win Shares 30.3Starts 269Best season 2020-21 · 27.0 ppg
Games played, last three seasons66%
1 season without an NBA game since his debut

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 23 → 25
Declining

Zion, at 25, is trending downward — 7.3 → 5.5 wins of value over the window.

Age curve Behind curve
Developing slower than his age would suggest.
2026-27 forecast 6.6 wins (+1.1)
Age should add a little at 26. Range 4.88.4 wins.
Production (BPM)+3.8+2.9-0.926-27 forecast +3.9
His production has held roughly steady.
2023-24: +3.8 · 70 games2024-25: +7.0 · 30 games2025-26: +2.9 · 62 games2026-27: +3.9 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)7.35.5-1.926-27 forecast 6.6
His win contribution is trending down.
2023-24: 7.3 · 70 games2024-25: 4.7 · 30 games2025-26: 5.5 · 62 games2026-27: 6.6 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $34.0M vs $42.2M salary−$8.1M
He is paid more than his play is projected to be worth.
$42.2M salary2023-24: $40.8M · 70 games2024-25: $14.3M · 30 games2025-26: $20.6M · 62 games2026-27: $34.0M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $42,166,510 cap hit · through '28. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$42,166,510Guaranteed
22% of the club’s payroll · 1st of 14 priced deals
Runs through2 seasons
Est. market value$34,028,000 /yr
Surplus$8,138,510
ABOVE VALUEpaid above his on-court value

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.