SALT LAKE CITY -- He has played just one season in the NBA, and it was a shortened one, at that. But Jason Williams of the Sacramento Kings already is a cult hero.

Just ask the television networks. The Kings, who lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, will be on 20 times this season, including nine appearances on NBC. The Trail Blazers, who reached the conference finals, feel good about getting 13 games on network TV, five on NBC.

And the disparity isn't because of Vlade Divac or Chris Webber, either. It's because of Williams -- who is rapidly becoming the Pete Maravich of his era.

He's not just a basketball player, he's a sideshow. An attraction.

A few thousand fans got lucky Tuesday afternoon at the Rocky Mountain Revue. Williams, who wasn't supposed to play at all for the Kings in the summer league, decided to play in one game.

He played just 23 minutes, but scored 27 points and had six rebounds and three assists. There is so much more to Williams than statistics, though. All of his offensive numbers ought to be multiplied by a degree of difficulty. He should get style points.

"He said he wanted to play," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "I told him, 'OK, there will be some people there to watch you, so get the long three-pointers and fancy stuff out of the way right away -- then work on the stuff we want you to work on.' "

Fat chance. And deep down, Adelman knows it. There is a need for Williams to improve. He needs to work on his shot selection and learn when to be a little more careful with his showboat passes. But Williams isn't going to change.

You don't want him to change. PLEASE don't change.

"He needs to be himself," Adelman said. "You don't want to mess with that. But he needs to slow himself down a little. He plays full-out all the time. If he'd slow himself down just a little, then shift into that higher gear when he needs it, that would be better for him."

Williams said he's working on it. And he understands how fortunate he is not to be playing for an old-school coach who would scream at him the first time one of his behind-the-back passes didn't hit the mark.

"I've played this way all my life, so it's going to be hard," he said. "But I'm lucky. The coach understands me and I understand him. I want to play in Sacramento forever. It's a perfect situation for me. They let me be myself."

And he's a real piece of work -- a showman of the highest order who doesn't seem to want to do anything the easy way. If he can't wrap a pass around his neck or his back, he probably would rather not throw it at all. The NBA's new emphasis of calling all hand-checking fouls is going to work to his advantage because, with his ability to handle the ball, he's going to be able to beat just about anyone trying to defend him on the outside.

"If the games are called this way, it's just a matter of accelerating past them," Williams said.

He has moves other players haven't dreamed about. The sparse crowd in the Delta Center on Tuesday afternoon was oohing and aahing nearly every minute he was on the floor. He has had a tendency to settle for long three-pointers, even though he has the ability to use his ballhandling and quickness to get much easier shots. The Kings would love him to penetrate more often.

"I've never seen anyone as good with the ball," Adelman said. "And he's so quick. He's faster with the ball than most guys are without it."

And the best part about him is his personality. He brings a joy for the game that fans perceive almost immediately. He's so obviously having fun and it's fun watching him have fun. He's sporting a shorter haircut this summer and it's served to make him look even younger than he did last season. It's like watching some high school kid out there with men, making them all look silly.

"The coaches really didn't want me to play here," he said, looking a little sheepish. "But I need to work on everything. I like to stay in shape and I just love playing ball."

Joy begets joy. You can reach Dwight Jaynes at 503-294-4050 or by e-mail at Dwjaynes@aol.com