The basketball world has never seen anything like Duke's 19-year-old, 285-pound freshman who has become a phenom for his incredible dunks

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• Duke freshman Zion Williamson lived up to the hype in his debut on Tuesday, scoring 28 points as Duke routed Kentucky.
• Williamson might be the top athlete in all of college basketball and showed that he has a unique and rare blend of skills for his size.
• There is virtually no precedent for a player of Williamson's size, athleticism, and skills in basketball, and it makes him one of the most intriguing NBA prospects.

Duke sent a loud message to the rest of the college basketball world on Tuesday that they're the team to beat with a blowout, 118-84 win over Kentucky.

Duke's top three freshmen, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish, combined for 83 points, nearly outscoring all of Kentucky by themselves.

And though Williamson was not the top scorer, contributing 28 points to Barrett's 33, he stole the show, displaying a unique skill set and physicality that has the basketball world drooling.

Williamson is a 6-foot-7, 285-lb forward who was the No. 2 high school prospect in the country when he landed at Duke. He rose to fame as his jaw-dropping athleticism and dunks created highlights that spread around social media.

As soon as Williamson arrived at Duke, he began to excite the basketball world with his incredible leaping ability. His vertical test with the team was a highlight reel unto itself.

Williamson's athleticism and build are only part of what makes him such a unique player. His weight is closer to that of an NBA center (if not heavier), but he moves like a small forward. Williamson theoretically could defend bigger players and blow by them on offense. Put a smaller player on him, and he can bully them on offense and use his quickness to stick with them.

On Tuesday, Williamson also showed that his game has grown in significant ways. He'll never be Stephen Curry from beyond the arc, but a reliable jump shot would go a long way for him.

His handle also looked tight, and once he's on the move, his speed and athleticism take over.

And if he's leading fastbreaks and threading the needle to teammates, forget about it.

ESPN's NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony said on "The Jump" in August that he had never seen a player as big and athletic as Williamson before while noting that he's an odd prospect in that he doesn't have many elite offensive skills other than finishing at the rim.

The most common comparison Williamson gets is Charles Barkley, perhaps because of their similar physical builds. But Williamson may already hold an athletic edge, and he may be more adept off the dribble. That's no small feat - Barkley is a Hall of Famer.

But the most intriguing part of Williamson is the numerous tools at his disposal. Though he doesn't dominate in any one area, the number of things he does well, combined with his elite physical tools, makes him a top NBA prospect already. As The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor wrote, Williamson already has the skills to be the perfect NBA big man for this era, and that's as he is only getting a taste of college basketball. If he continues to improve and produce jaw-dropping highlights, his stock should only rise.

"Somebody asked me to describe Zion Williamson in three words," ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said after the game on Tuesday, "And I'm like, 'Oh my God!'"