Zion Williamson has been quieting critics of late, and the New Orleans Pelicans star made a statement Thursday night in a critical win ahead of the NBA playoffs.

Pels head coach Willie Green was quick to praise Williamson for his efforts following his 28-point performance in New Orleans' 107-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday evening.

"Z(ion) has been amazing," Green said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. "Night in and night out, he is putting the team on his shoulders, and he's carrying us. He's guarding. He's rebounding. He's making simple plays to his teammates. The guys are rallying around him. Collectively, it was a big-time effort from all of our guys who stepped on the floor. The game-plan discipline was at a high level."

Williamson has already set a new career high in games played (62) and the Pelicans still have nine regular-season games remaining.

The 23-year-old is a huge reason why the Pels sit fifth in the Western Conference with a 45-28 record and are on pace to make the postseason. He's averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 58.6 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from deep.

If Williamson can stay healthy and continue to play to his potential, the Pelicans could be among the toughest outs in the Western Conference playoffs.