Zion Williamson scores the basket in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19, 2025.
Despite not being established until the 2002-03 season, the New Orleans franchise has had some impressive scorers wear their uniform. They currently have one of the most dominant offensive forces in the league in Zion Williamson on their roster. Let’s highlight their top five all-time single-season points-per-game leaders.
1. Anthony Davis, 2017-18, 28.1 Points Per Game
The then New Orleans Hornets selected Davis with the first pick in the 2012 Draft. He appeared in 64 games during his rookie season, averaging 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. After that, he never averaged fewer than 20.8 points per game with the franchise. Not only did he lead the league by averaging 2.6 blocks in 2017-18, but his average of 28.1 points per game was second in the league behind James Harden (30.4). Davis made the All-Star team, finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and third in MVP voting that season.
2. Anthony Davis, 2016-17, 28.0 Points Per Game
Davis appeared in 75 games for the Pelicans in the 2016-17 season, logging an average of 36 minutes along the way. With him averaging 20.3 shot attempts per game and shooting 50.5% from the field, Davis produced 28.0 points. That ranked fourth in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook (31.6), James Harden (29.1), and Isaiah Thomas (28.9).
3. Zion Williamson, 2020-21, 27.0 Points Per Game
The Pelicans selected Williamson with the first pick in the 2019 Draft. Williamson averaged 22.5 points during his rookie season, then followed it up by averaging 27.0 points over 61 games in 2020-21. He dominated in the paint on his way to shooting 61.1% from the field. Williamson would then miss the entire 2021-22 season due to injury. While Williamson did play 70 games in 2023-24, he was limited to just 30 games during the 2024-25 season. Williamson will enter the 2025-26 season at just 25 years old, so he will have more opportunities to add his name to this list.
4. Anthony Davis, 2014-15, 24.4 Points Per Game
Davis provided 2.9 blocks per game during the 2014-15 season, leading the league in that department for the second straight season. That also helped him finish fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Davis also thrived on the offensive end, averaging 24.4 points. It was an efficient campaign for him as he shot 53.5% from the field and 80.5% from the free-throw line.
5. Anthony Davis, 2015-16, 24.3 Points Per Game
Davis made his third consecutive All-Star team during the 2015-16 season. He scored 24.3 points, shooting 49.3% from the field along the way. This was also the first season in which Davis started to show his range from behind the arc. In each of his first three seasons, he didn’t average more than 0.2 three-point attempts per game. However, he averaged 1.8 three-point attempts in 2015-16. Following the 2018-19 season, Davis was traded to the Lakers. Over 466 career regular season games with New Orleans, Davis averaged 23.7 points and shot 51.7% from the field.