Why Zion Williamson Won't Win Rookie of the Year

Ever since he enrolled at Duke University, Zion Williamson was a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. However, the Rookie of the Year award is a whole different monster and is far-and-away a sure thing for the 18-year-old phenom to take home next season.

Yes, Williamson will deliver countless highlight reels and boost ticket and jersey sales in New Orleans almost immediately but he will not win the prestigious 2019-2020 ROTY award.

And it starts with the Pelicans outstanding offseason. Yes, they parted ways with Anthony Davis but now exult of the deepest rosters in the Association and can genuinely push for one of the lower seeds in the Western Conference playoff race next season.

As of right now, head coach Alvin Gentry's roster (outside of Zion) features Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Jahill Okafor, Jaxson Hayes and E'Twuan Moore.

That's EIGHT other players who are all capable of averaging north of or around 10 points per game. Consequently, Williamson will not have the ball in his hands on every possession like RJ Barrett in New York, Ja Morant in Memphis, Darius Garland in Cleveland and Coby White in Chicago.

There's too many hands to feed in Nola which clearly suggests that Zion will not be positioned to post the insane averages we grow accustomed to him nodding at Duke.

He'll definitely have the best chance of the lottery picks to compete for a playoff berth but should be considered outside the top-three in terms of favorites to bring home next season's Rookie of the Year award.