Zion Williamson Season Props: Rookie Phenom Listed for 17 PPG & 8.5 RPG
By Robert Duff in NBA Basketball
Updated: April 5, 2020 at 6:25 pm EDTPublished:
- Sportsbooks have issued a series of prop wagers on Zion Williamson’s rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans
- Williamson is averaging 23.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in the NBA preseason
- He’ll miss the start of the regular season with a knee injury
Ever since he was selected first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft, everyone has been giving Zion Williamson his props.
So why shouldn’t sportsbooks get in on the action then?
They’ve come out with a series of prop bets offering over/under wagers on Williamson in a variety statistical categories.
Williamson is expected to miss the first few weeks of the NBA regular season due to a knee injury. But reports are that the injury isn’t serious and shouldn’t jeopardize him long term.
At the same time, it’s the third occasion that he’s sat out time with a knee ailment since last season.
Zion Williamson Points Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total Points Per Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 17 | -120 |
| Under 17 | -120 |
*All odds herein taken on 10/17/19
Based on his preseason output, these digits seem to be somewhat conservative. Williamson averaged 23.2 points per game during the NBA’s exhibition campaign. Granted, the competition will ramp up once the games are for real but even in the preseason, 23.2 ppg for a rookie is an impressive number.
A severe injury has been ruled out for Zion Williamson’s right knee, but he is expected to miss period of weeks to start regular season, league sources tell ESPN. Pels are clearly treating injury with an abundance of caution but there’s no shortage of confidence on full recovery.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2019
The only players who outscored Zion during the preseason were Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, and Stephen Curry. All three of them were NBA MVPs. Curry and Harden were NBA scoring leaders.
Last season’s NBA rookie of the year, Luka Doncic of Dallas Mavericks, averaged 21.2 ppg. But he was the first ROY to top 17 ppg in three seasons.
Most Efficient Preseason Scorers* (TS%)
1. Zion Williamson … 73.7%
2. Zach LaVine ……. 71.2%
3. CJ McCollum …… 70.5%
4. Steph Curry …….. 69.4%
5. Bryn Forbes …….. 69.3%
* Min 40 FGA (58 Players) pic.twitter.com/3kY0wEik3I— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) October 17, 2019
Big men who win the NBA ROY tend to score big, though. Karl-Anthony Towns (18.3 ppg) of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015-16 and Blake Griffin (22.5) of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2010-11 both averaged over 17 ppg.
Pick: Over 17 (-120).
Zion Williamson Rebounds Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total Rebounds Per Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 8.5 | -120 |
| Under 8.5 | -120 |
Big men who win the rookie award also pull down lots of boards. Towns averaged 10.5 rebounds per game. Griffin grabbed 12.1 a night.
😤 ZION. WILLIAMSON. 😤#NBAPreseason on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/EDEF64Ko2o
— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2019
Williamson, though, is not in that stratosphere. He’s averaged just 6.5 boards per game in the preseason. Zion grabbed 8.9 rebounds a game last season at Duke.
Rebounds are harder to come by in the NBA, though. Especially when you’re only six-foot-seven.
Pick: Under 8.5 (-120).
Zion Williamson Blocks Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total Blocks Per Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 1.5 | -140 |
| Under 1.5 | +100 |
Williamson swatted down 1.8 balls per game with the Blue Devils in 2018-19. But he didn’t block a single shot in four NBA preseason games.
"THAT'S NOT NORMAL!"#WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/pXuytRPzQD
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 12, 2019
Offense generally comes faster to young players at the pro level than defense. Williamson has definitely struggled with reads during the preseason, and that’s left him exposed defensively. Other players may not possess his physical attributes but they own the veteran savvy to outwit the 19-year-old rookie.
Pick: Under 1.5 (+100).
Zion Williamson Steals Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total Steals Per Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 1.5 | -120 |
| Under 1.5 | -120 |
Williamson is a gambler at heart. In college, he displayed a willingness on defense to make a low-risk player in order to turn over the ball. And often, it paid off for him. Williamson finished with 2.1 steals per game in his lone season at Duke.
Zion Williamson on defense: Growing up my favorite player was Michael Jordan. For those who may just think Michael Jordan was an offensive player he was a great defender and won DPOY. I'm just striving to be like that. As well as I am on offense, I want to be the same on defense. pic.twitter.com/gydBfkEo6U
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 21, 2018
He’ll need to reign that recklessness in at the NBA level and learn when to pick his spots. He’s been right on 1.5 steals per game during preseason play. But just two of the last 13 NBA ROY finished the season with more than 1.5 steals per game.
Pick: Under 1.5 (-120).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
