WATCH: Charles Barkley comically shows how Zion Williamson should have landed to avoid wrist injury

Charles Barkley hilariously demonstrated how Zion Williamson should have landed after he exited the New Orleans Pelicans-Sacramento Kings game in the first half. The former All-Star suffered a wrist injury. Williamson went down in the second quarter after he got his shot blocked on a spin move by Trey Lyles. Williamson fell on the floor and appeared to have landed on his left wrist.

He left for the locker room shortly, grimacing in pain. Willamson was already dealing with an injury to his left middle finger. The Pelicans survived a scare as Williamson returned to play the second half. The fall seemed awkward, which prompted Barkley to suggest Williamson about how he should land next time he goes to the ground. Here's the clip:

It could have been a tough setback for the Pelicans, who are fighting to stay alive in the top-six race in the West and ensuring they don't fall to ninth or 10th in the standings.

Williamson had been huge for them in the 15 minutes he played before exiting, tallying eight points, three rebounds and four assists on 4 of 8s shooting. The Pelicans led by as many as 23 points. However, the Kings stormed back and made it a six-point game at halftime.

The Pelicans were also +18 with Zion Williamson on the floor, so if he didn't return, it could have been a difficult pill to swallow, given the ramifications of the result of this game. New Orleans will drop to seventh if they lose, while they could extend their gap in sixth to 1.5 games over the seventh-placed Phoenix Suns.

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New Orleans Pelicans hopes of a deep playoff push rely on Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans are finally getting a healthy Zion Williamson. Williamson has played 67 of the team's 79 games, the most he has in a season in his NBA career. He has averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 57.6% shooting.

Williamson's impact has been immense on both ends, and he's a key reason why the Pelicans have survived the stacked Western Conference. They are sixth in the standings with two games left, poised to make their second playoff appearance in two seasons.

The Pelicans aren't just expected to make the playoffs but also make some noise against the top contenders in the NBA, with Zion Williamson available. He's been the missing piece for the past two seasons. They made the 2022 playoffs but lost 4-2 in the first round to the Suns in his absence, while they failed to win the play-in tournament in 2023 and faced an April exit.