Entering Friday night, Zion Wiliamson had played merely 18 of the New Orleans Pelicans' 56 games this season. There isn't much left to play for in the Big Easy with the Pelicans sitting in dead last in the West but Williamson, at least, was healthy enough to play his 19th contest night in his team's first game after the All-Star break against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Pelicans lost, as has become their habit this year, dropping to 13-43 on the season. Williamson had a very productive night, though, scoring 29 points on a tremendously efficient 11-of-15 from the floor to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. In the process, the former top pick hit a big career milestone and joined impressive company.

Williamson hit 5,000 career points on Friday night. Doing so in 203 career games makes him the third-fastest to hit the mark among all active players.

The achievement doesn't change how disappointing this season has been in New Orleans or the fact that Williamson cannot stay on the floor for extended periods of time. But it does reflect how dominant the former Duke star can be when he's on the court, putting up points at a similar rate to generational talents like LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Hopefully Williamson's next 5,000 points will come quickly. That'll mean he's back to playing games regularly—something all NBA fans can appreciate.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Zion Willamson Joined Elite Company by Hitting Milestone With Big Outing vs. Mavericks.