Duke freshman phenom Zion Williamson has posted impressive stat lines, thrown down electrifying dunks and wowed crowds with stunning blocks.
But LeBron James is most impressed with Williamson's attitude.
"Everybody gets so caught up in the game itself," James said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I look at the intangibles. And he seems like he has great intangibles and seems like a great kid."
Williamson, who was among the top high school recruits in the country a year ago, is already among the best college players in the game. A 6-foot-7, 285-pound freshman, there's a good chance Williamson could be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft -- possibly to the Knicks -- and James said he understands the pressure surrounding Williamson.
"I can relate in a sense of he's been covered since he was in high school and everybody is trying to compare him to the next this or the next that," James said. "But the best thing I've noticed is he seems like a good kid. He seems like he's got his head on straight. And when they asked him about, you know, guys in our league and people who cover our league talking about, 'If I was Zion Williamson, I would sit out for the rest of the year,' he was like, 'That's [silly]. Why? I'm here to play basketball. I love to play basketball. I'm here at Duke, I'm having fun. These are my friends. I'm having a great time. Why would I sit out?'"
The 18-year-old Williamson is averaging 22 points and 9.3 rebounds for No. 2 Duke. He seems to have a new jaw-dropping highlight each game, be it a coast-to-coast and-1 layup in a 23-point comeback win or a vicious alley-oop.
James witnessed Williamson firsthand when Duke beat Virginia last week, and he was a fan of Williamson's athleticism.
"What strikes me? His agility and his quickness," James said. "For his size, how strong he is, to be able to move like the way he moves, he's very impressive. I mean, everybody can see the athleticism. That's obviously, that's ridiculous. But the speed and the quickness that he moves [with] at that size is very impressive."
But more than that, James has been impressed with Williamson's composure as he has already dealt with questions about the NBA.
At the All-Star break, the Knicks are 11-47, the second-worst record in the NBA, and have a 14 percent chance of winning the draft lottery. At this point, they have a 40.1 percent chance of landing a top-three pick, according to Tankathon.
Williamson has already lit up Madison Square Garden and had to answer questions about the possibility of teaming with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in New York should they both sign with the Knicks in free agency.
"I mean, it would be dope to play with KD and Kyrie," Williamson said earlier this month, "but like I said I'm enjoying college and whichever team drafts me I'm going to be ready to play hard and work."
Even in December, after his first college game at Madison Square Garden, Williamson was diplomatic in his approach about which NBA team he wanted to join.
"If they draft me, I would love to play for the Knicks," Williamson said. "I don't really care where I go, just the experience of being in the NBA. Whoever wants me and whoever sees the most in me, that's where I want to be."
James has worked with Williamson's coach, Mike Krzyzewski, during his time with USA Basketball in the past, and thinks that is a big reason for Williamson's success at the NCAA level.
"I love what those young boys are doing over there," he said. "I love what Zion and RJ [Barrett] and Cam [Reddish] and Tre [Jones], I love what they're doing."