Rookie sensation Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans has proven again and again why he was the first-draft pick. In their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, Willamson scored 24 points, making him the first teenager to score 20+ points in 10 straight games in NBA history.

According to News.com, The previous record of nine straight games was set by Carmelo Anthony in 2003. Other members of the Class of 2003 include LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Josh Howard.

Williamson was born on July 6, 2000. He is still a few months shy of his 20th birthday. Unlike a lot of players who started young and straight out of high school like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett, Williamson played college ball with powerhouse Duke University and averaged 22.6 points a game in 33 games. As a freshman, he led Duke University to another ACC championship and won the ACC Tournament MVP. He was the 6th freshman to win the honor.

In the NBA, Williamson missed most of the first half of the regular season due to injury. He only played 13 games so far, and is currently averaging 23.3 points a game with 7.1 rebounds. It is unlikely that he will get the rookie of the year award, with other strong rookies such as Ja Morant and Tyler Herro doing well in teams that are likely to get into the playoffs.

However, according to Bleacher Report, Vegas is putting their money on Williamson, giving him 2-9 odds as first favoured to win.

The Pelicans rocketed up to 9th place in the Eastern Conference with Williamson, and are only a few games behind the Memphis Grizzlies. They won 9 out of their last 13 games with the rookie. If the Pelicans can keep these averages, they could enter the top 8 and play in the postseason, giving Williamson a chance at rookie of the year.

Ja Morant is averaging 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists for the Grizzlies. That gives Williamson a bit of an edge when it comes to averages, but Morant's totals are much higher due to starting in all 52 games for Memphis. It will all come down to team standings and fan votes at the end of the season.

Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson Erik Drost/Creative Commons