Pelicans HC: Zion Williamson 'Showing the World' What He's About By Playing Injured

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green wants to make sure everyone is paying attention to what Zion Williamson is doing for the team in their quest to make the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in tournament.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 135-123 win over the Sacramento Kings, Green said Williamson is "showing the world what he is about" after fighting through a wrist injury to score 31 points in 31 minutes.

Williamson left the game in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on his wrist when trying to break his fall going to the basket. He was back on the court to start the third quarter and made his first two field-goal attempts.

Injuries have, unfortunately, been one of the defining traits of Williamson's career. He only played a total of 114 games over his first four seasons due to ailments that included a torn meniscus, Jones fracture that required surgery and hamstring issue.

As he was dealing with a hamstring injury last season, Williamson also spoke about the difficulty of mentally preparing himself to get back on the floor.

This season began with questions about Williamson's weight and conditioning, to the point that articles were written about how the Pelicans could get out of his contract this summer if they wanted to.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said last month that Williamson has worked himself into better shape throughout the season, including dropping 25 pounds since the play-in tournament.

Williamson has been able to stay healthy for the most part this season. He's already played in a career-high 68 games with two more remaining in the regular season.

The two-time All-Star is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career. He's averaging 26.0 points on 57.8 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 15 starts since March 13.

New Orleans has won three straight games, including key victories over the Kings and Phoenix Suns this week, to remain in the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

If the Pelicans (48-32) win out, they will finish ahead of the Suns for the final automatic berth in the playoffs. Phoenix (47-33) will move ahead of them if the two teams finish tied because it had a 2-1 advantage in the regular-season series.