The legend of Zion Williamson became even harder to decipher on Friday night. The  star forward posted yet another remarkably efficient offensive outing, scoring 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a 111-103 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks. Williams’ impressive performance in American Airlines Center gives him more than 5,000 points for his career.

He reached the milestone in 203 games, making him  to accomplish the feat, per Yahoo Sports. The 24-year-old sits behind only Luka Doncic (194) and LeBron James (197).

That eye-opening piece of information perfectly encapsulates Williamson’s professional run to this point, and the incredibly great and deeply unfortunate aspects that define it. Since entering the league in 2019, the former No. 1 overall draft pick has played less than 30 games in a single campaign three different times. His season-high mark is 70, which he hit for the first time last year. He is one of the  in modern NBA history.

However, as the data shows, when Williamson plays, he is usually superb. The two-time All-Star plows through defenders with unique power and explosiveness, exhibiting athleticism that is not supposed to exist in a person with his frame. He averages 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steal through the aforementioned 203 games.

What is most noteworthy about Williamson’s offensive prowess is that he attempts less than one 3-point shot per contest for his career. He has accrued massive numbers by generally . Listed at 6-foot-6, this man is truly an anomaly.

He is also quite polarizing. Fans had vastly different reactions to Zion Williamson entering the 5,000-point club at a historic pace.

The public weighs in after Zion Williamson hits 5k

“How many seasons?” Just imagine if he didn’t get injured as much…”. “Fast in games maybe but not exactly fast in time,” “Considering all the games he’s missed, this is prett

Williamson will continue to induce strong emotions. He has the rare ability to captivate and devastate in the span of minutes. Look no further than the Pelicans’ NBA Play-In Tournament matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers last year. He dropped 40 points and 11 boards and was on the verge of leading his team to a stirring comeback victory before exiting in the final minutes with a hamstring injury.

New Orleans earnestly hopes that it gets to witness Williamson’s dominance for an extended stretch. The franchise’s season is over, as injuries have ravaged much of the roster. Watching No. 1 bulldoze his way through traffic and take flight is probably the most enjoyment the Smoothie King Center could experience in the final two months of the 2024-25 campaign.

is on a tear right now, scoring 28 points or more in four of his last five contests while eclipsing 70 percent from the field three times during that stretch. He has played in 19 games thus far this season, so people will temper their excitement, but this supremely talented athlete is emphatically making his presence known when he is on the court.