First, there was the lockout. Then there was another lockout for Jason Williams.

Even after he arrived in Sacramento, Williams had to sit and watch the team's first two practices until the Kings untangled their free-agent situation with Vlade Divac and Corliss Williamson. Only then could he and second-round pick Jerome James sign contracts and participate in practice Friday night.

It's clear, however, that practice is one thing for Williams and playing before a crowd is another.

At Sunday night's fan festival, dubbed Hoopla '99, Williams showed in 40 minutes of scrimmaging with his teammates that he is sure to be a fan favorite at Arco Arena.

Williams dropped layups and dunks into the hands of his teammates all evening and did so with style. Perhaps that's why new media relations assistant Stephanie Shepard has dubbed him "White Chocolate." Said veteran guard Vernon Maxwell of Williams, "The boy has got soul."

Williams clearly is at his best with the ball in his hands in the middle of the floor and teammates running on the wings.

And for those of you who have had enough of poor-shooting point guards, he can shoot the NBA three. Williams is just a rookie, but he has impressed many, including Divac.

"I'd heard he was good, but to see him be that good was a surprise," Divac said. "He does some things I have not seen in a long time, since I played with Magic (Johnson). He sees everything. There is not one single angle he doesn't see, and you can't learn that. That's God's gift to him."

But perhaps his most endearing quality to long-suffering Kings fans is his willingness to pass the ball up the floor to open teammates. It's somewhat of a lost art in the NBA, and it's a skill that should result in dunk after layup after dunk.

If the scrimmage showed nothing else, it is that the current, incomplete squad in camp today has the potential or even the likelihood of being a very good offensive team.

In Williams, Divac, Williamson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Chris Webber, Vernon Maxwell, Peja Stojakovic, Lawrence Funderburke, Terry Dehere, Jon Barry and Kevin Ollie, the Kings have an assortment or even an abundance of players who can pass, dribble and shoot.

Their ability to defend remains unknown. But that's a concern for another day.