New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Josh Hart called teammate Zion Williamson a "force" after his strong performance in Friday night's 128-127 preseason victory over the Utah Jazz.

Hart, who spent the 2018-19 NBA season playing alongside LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers, said the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft is unlike anybody he's ever witnessed.

"You can't compare it to nobody," Hart told reporters. "Nobody can do that. He does a really good job of being able to use his body. I mean, he's a force."

Williamson connected on nine of his 12 field-goal attempts Friday en route to a game-high 26 points to go along with five rebounds and an assist. He's averaging 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals through his first three NBA exhibition games.

"He's kind of surprisingly agile," Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the two-time defending NBA Defensive Player of the Year, said after matching up with the Duke product. "I think he catches a lot of people off guard because of that. He can change direction pretty quick."

Undefeated thus far in the preseason, New Orleans finishes the preseason with road games against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday and the New York Knicks on Friday. His first appearance at Madison Square Garden should draw plenty of hype, even for an exhibition contest.

Williamson's first official game is set for Oct. 22 against the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors.