Mavericks HC Rick Carlisle: Watching Zion Williamson 'A Breathtaking Experience'

It's easy to forget that Zion Williamson has only played in 16 NBA games prior to the New Orleans Pelicans' matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle joined the throngs of people already significantly impressed by the 19-year-old rookie top overall pick prior to the game's tipoff at Dallas' American Airlines Center.

"His level of force and efficiency is just unprecedented for a player of that age," Carlisle said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Watching him is a breathtaking experience."

The Mavs have already played the Pels twice this season—both wins and both in early December—but Williamson was still recovering from an Oct. 21 arthroscopic knee surgery that kept him sidelined until Jan. 22.

Williamson has scored at least 20 points in 12 consecutive games, and he is the first teenager in league history to accomplish that.

The Duke product bucketed a career-high 35 points in New Orleans' 112-114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night—his third 30-point game since debuting—further jotting his name down in NBA history while doing so:

Williamson will play against reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic for the first time Wednesday, and the 21-year-old 2018 third overall pick has been busy making history of his own this season:

The 26-35 Pelicans are going to need even more out of Williamson if they're going to catch the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff race. Head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed earlier Wednesday that the team plans to let their young franchise player play in back-to-backs while the medical team monitors him.

Williamson is averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 58.8 percent shooting from the field.