He was Dublin's breakthrough boy last summer and Brian Howard has cemented his place in the Blues attack with a series of quality performances this year.
And former Dubs boss Paul Caffrey believes Howard is a "rare luxury" for Jim to have - a young player who can read the game superbly and is equally capable when he's defending or attacking.
"He's a different animal to Niall Scully in that defensively he's brilliant," said Pillar of the All-Ireland title winner at under-21 and senior level.
"He would have played his underage football and all the way up along at centre-back, so he's a very good reader of the game.
"Watching the games, he's taking up naturally brilliant defensive positions - he sees when there's a need for him to go in and play in front of the full-back line.
"He's their go-to player all summer because of his build, his ability in the air, he's a huge option for kick-outs.
"On the ball is the thing that he's evolved so much, he rarely turns over ball and he has a phenomenal sidestep, so he can give himself a yard of room out of nothing.
"And he has a bit of pace about him, so he can go by a man, pick a pass. To me, he is an all rounder in that he's very, very important.
"No more than Brian Fenton coming through a few years ago - I do say that Brian Fenton was a gift from God!
"Howard is a bit similar. OK, he had a stellar underage career and did brilliantly on that under-21 team.
"But for him to step him and play this no.12 role for Dublin, covering a multitude of jobs, he's got maturity beyond his years."
What the emergence of the 22-year-old has done is allow Fenton to burst forward when the Raheny man feels the time is right, as he knows his club colleague will instinctively cover the space in behind.
"Howard is very, very happy to go back and to plant himself there," said Caffrey. "He sees things way beyond his years.
"To me, he looks like a 28-year-old guy out there - his reading of the game, his ability on the ball, his decision making under pressure...all the boxes he ticks that young fellas don't tick normally.
"The flexibility attached to him - Jim rolled him out at wing-back, he's played at centre-back, midfield, anywhere in that middle section he's comfortable.
"I don't think it really matters to him what number he gets, he sees the job and goes and gets it done.
"He's a rare luxury to have as a manager looking in, because this guy doesn't need an awful lot of coaching in terms of seeing the game as it unfolds.
"He just does it naturally. And he's a smashing guy, a very humble guy, a very modest guy. He's a real gem for Jim to have".
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