Joel Embiid vs. Zion Williamson Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Zion Williamson and Joel Embiid, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Joel Embiid played 10 years in the NBA, 4 more than Zion Williamson, who played 6. Joel Embiid had the first of his seasons in 2016-17, while Zion Williamson had his rookie season in 2019-20. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achievements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Joel Embiid 10 7 2016-17 to 2025-26
Zion Williamson 6 0 2019-20 to 2025-26

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6

Rookie Season

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2016-172019-20
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 31 25.4 20.2 2.0 5.9 7.8 2.1 0.9 2.5 3.8 3.6 6.5 13.8 .466 1.2 3.2 .367 6.2 7.9 .783
difference:+7+2.4+2.3+0.7+2.3+1.5+0.2+2.1-1.3-1.8+2.3+1.2+.117+0.9+2.6+.062+1.4+0.5+.143
Zion Williamson 24 27.8 22.5 2.7 3.6 6.3 2.1 0.7 0.4 2.5 1.8 8.8 15.0 .583 0.3 0.6 .429 4.8 7.4 .640
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Joel Embiid nor Zion Williamson played in the postseason in their season 1

Season 2

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2017-182020-21
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 63 30.3 22.9 2.3 8.7 11.0 3.2 0.6 1.8 3.7 3.3 8.1 16.8 .483 1.0 3.4 .308 5.7 7.4 .769
difference:+2+2.9+4.1+0.4+4.2+3.8+0.5+0.3+1.2-1.0-1.1+2.3+0.2+.128+0.8+2.8+.014+0.3+1.3+.071
Zion Williamson 61 33.2 27.0 2.7 4.5 7.2 3.7 0.9 0.6 2.7 2.2 10.4 17.0 .611 0.2 0.6 .294 6.0 8.7 .698
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 8 34.8 21.4 2.9 9.8 12.6 3.0 0.9 1.8 3.6 3.9 7.5 17.3 .435 1.0 3.6 .276 5.4 7.6 .705
Zion Williamson DNP------ --- ----------

Note: Zion Williamson didn't play in 2021-22.

Season 3

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2018-192022-23
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 64 33.7 27.5 2.5 11.1 13.6 3.7 0.7 1.9 3.5 3.3 9.1 18.7 .484 1.2 4.1 .300 8.2 10.1 .804
difference:+35+0.7+1.5+0.5+6.1+6.6+0.9+0.4+1.3-0.1-1.1+0.7+2.5+.124+1.0+3.4+.068+2.1+1.5+.090
Zion Williamson 29 33.0 26.0 2.0 5.0 7.0 4.6 1.1 0.6 3.4 2.2 9.8 16.2 .608 0.2 0.7 .368 6.1 8.6 .714
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 11 30.4 20.2 1.9 8.5 10.5 3.4 0.7 2.3 3.6 3.1 6.2 14.5 .428 1.1 3.5 .308 6.7 8.2 .822
Zion Williamson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2019-202023-24
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 51 29.5 23.0 2.8 8.9 11.6 3.0 0.9 1.3 3.1 3.4 7.5 15.7 .477 1.1 3.4 .331 6.9 8.5 .807
difference:+19+2.0+0.1+1.1+4.8+5.8+2.0+0.2+0.6-0.3-1.1+1.4+0.1+.093+1.0+3.1+.002+1.9+1.4+.105
Zion Williamson 70 31.5 22.9 1.7 4.1 5.8 5.0 1.1 0.7 2.8 2.3 8.9 15.6 .570 0.1 0.3 .333 5.0 7.1 .702
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 4 36.3 30.0 2.8 9.5 12.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 3.8 4.5 8.5 18.5 .459 1.0 4.0 .250 12.0 14.8 .814
Zion Williamson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2020-212024-25
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 51 31.1 28.5 2.2 8.4 10.6 2.8 1.0 1.4 3.1 2.4 9.0 17.6 .513 1.1 3.0 .377 9.2 10.7 .859
difference:+21+2.5+3.9+0.3+3.7+3.4+2.5+0.2+0.5-0.1-0.3+0.6+0.7+.054+1.0+2.6+.146+3.9+2.7+.203
Zion Williamson 30 28.6 24.6 2.5 4.7 7.2 5.3 1.2 0.9 3.0 2.7 9.6 16.9 .567 0.1 0.4 .231 5.3 8.0 .656
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 11 32.5 28.1 1.5 9.1 10.5 3.4 1.0 1.5 3.8 3.0 9.2 17.9 .513 1.5 3.7 .390 8.3 9.9 .835
Zion Williamson DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Joel Embiid Zion Williamson
Season 2021-222025-26
Team Philadelphia 76ersNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 68 33.8 30.6 2.1 9.6 11.7 4.2 1.1 1.5 3.1 2.7 9.8 19.6 .499 1.4 3.7 .371 9.6 11.8 .814
difference:+58+2.9+8.5+0.2+6.3+6.1+0.2+0.5+1.0-0.4+2.4+5.1+.011+1.4+3.4+.371+2.3+1.7+.091
Zion Williamson 10 30.9 22.1 2.3 3.3 5.6 4.0 1.6 0.5 3.1 2.3 7.4 14.5 .510 0.0 0.3 .000 7.3 10.1 .723
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Joel Embiid 10 38.5 23.6 2.1 8.6 10.7 2.1 0.4 0.8 3.2 3.4 7.8 16.1 .484 0.7 3.3 .212 7.3 8.9 .820
Zion Williamson DNP------ --- ----------

Additional Years

* Joel Embiid played 4 seasons more than Zion Williamson in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 7 to 10, from 2023 to 2026—Joel Embiid played in two Playoffs.

In those 4 extra years over Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 1 Season MVP
Achievement 1 All-NBA First Team
Achievement 1 Scoring Leader
Achievement 2 All-Star Game