The NBA community is alive and well thanks in no small part to the endless debates fans can have about everything under the basketball sun. However, one thing all fans can agree on is that the game is in a better place with New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson back at his best on the court. And after seeing Williamson drop 27 points, five rebounds, and seven assists firsthand against his Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James definitely agrees with that sentiment, as he had the highest of praise for the 22-year old highflyer.

“It's so funny when you hear people like, ‘Just stop him from going left. Stop him from going left.' It's the same thing I heard so many years with [Manu] Ginobili: ‘Just stop him from going left.' Lamar Odom, ‘Stop him from going left.' When you're great, no matter what you do, they're going to figure out a way,” James said in his postgame presser following a riveting 120-117 win over the Pelicans in overtime.

“Zion is on the verge — he's going to be great in this league for a long time. So, tonight he showed who's he's gonna be.”

If there's anyone who knows about the level of greatness it takes to succeed at the highest level, it's LeBron, so to hear the 37-year old forward compare Zion Williamson to left-handed legends such as Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili and two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom will be music to Pelicans fans' ears.

Moreover, the road Williamson took to get to this point is extremely difficult, which makes LeBron James' effusive commendation of him something to hold in high regard. The 6'6 power forward missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to a broken foot, from which he suffered setback after setback from.

“I understand exactly some of the things that he's going through. Being a No. 1 pick and everybody is saying ‘You should be this, you should be that, the face of the franchise. You gotta do this, you gotta do that.' Then when you're not playing, they're like, ‘OK well is he gonna be this or is he gonna be that?' The kid has done nothing but keep his head down, and keep pushing,” James added.

“He's in great shape right now. Great talent. Something we've never seen, a talent of his size, his speed, his athleticism. Just like a Giannis. just like a Barkley, or Shaq. Just certain talents that come into our league that you've just never seen before.”

At the end of the day, there's no reason for Pelicans fans to believe that Zion Williamson isn't ticketed to take the Pelicans into the stratosphere should he remain healthy. Only in his fourth season in the league, Williamson is already one of the best scorers in the paint, and his playmaking seems to have improved. It”ll be frightening for LeBron James and the rest of the league to think about just how much better he could become.