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NBA Playoffs: Top five players without a playoff appearance

By Larry Hammonds

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 30: Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns holds the Western Conference Championship trophy as his team looks on after the Suns defeated the LA Clippers in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 30: Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns holds the Western Conference Championship trophy as his team looks on after the Suns defeated the LA Clippers in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Top five players without NBA playoffs experience: 2. Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson has been a walking highlight reel and media darling since his high school days. Although he just finished his second season in the league after being selected first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, whether it was high school, AAU, or his lone season at Duke, Williamson has always been in the spotlight and the center of attention.

His quickness combined with his supreme athleticism has led to some powerful slam dunks and a lot of Sportscenter’s top-ten plays. Listed at 6’7” tall and 284 pounds, Williamson is a bulldozer in the paint and a dominant scorer around the rim. He averaged 22.5 points per game as a rookie and increased that number to 27 points per game this season.

It’s scary knowing that he has so much room for improvement, yet he’s already one of the most efficient scorers in league history. According to stathead, it only took Williamson two seasons in the NBA to become the first person on record to shoot at least 61 percent from the field while attempting at least 17 shots per game. He’s also only the third player in league history to average at least 27 points per game before turning 20.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, the Pelicans unleashed Zion as a point-forward midway through the season, and he excelled in stretches as the primary shot creator and playmaker. From Jan. 31, he averaged 28.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 62 percent from the field and 70.8 percent from the charity stripe.

He needs to improve defense and his shooting from outside, but the sky’s the limit for New Orleans’ young budding superstar. Watching the player that got drafted right after him put on a marvelous performance in his playoff debut must have lit a fire inside of him, and when Zion makes his playoff debut, he will most certainly put on a show of his own.