[外電] Scott: Rookie has smarts
原文出自 nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/109816715531330.xml
Scott: Rookie has smarts
Smith wowing coach in his first pro camp
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
By Jimmy Smith
Staff writer
First-year Hornets coach Byron Scott talks a lot about rookie
J.R. Smith's basketball IQ.
It's high, Scott said.
Last week, when shooting guard David Wesley felt his right
hamstring tighten during a layup drill, the pace of Smith's
NBA education quickened, putting early pressure on the
19-year-old's intelligence quotient as he goes through practice
and game paces with New Orleans' first unit.
Smith's classroom work continues tonight when the Hornets host
the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers.
With Wesley sidelined perhaps for the next two exhibition games,
Smith's honor's course workload will not diminish. His learning
curve likely won't, either.
"He's working with a veteran group," Scott said Monday. "It has
definitely helped him. Plus, Baron has taken him under his wing
and showed him some things on both ends of the court. So that's
accelerated his progress even more so.
"The kid is really intelligent. He really understands the game
well for a 19-year-old. And the things that we give him he tries
to apply right away. He learns quickly."
Smith leads the Hornets in scoring through three practice games,
averaging 15.3 points, hitting 48 percent of his field goals and
50 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
Yet it is on the other end of the floor where Smith's inexperience
gives him away.
"Nobody comes into this league out of high school because they
play defense," Wesley said Monday. "They're here because they're
offensively better than anybody around. They're offensive minded.
And he is. That will be our job, as veterans around here, to help
him with those things. I definitely know there are some things I
can help him with. And I will. The better he can be, the better
we will be.
"But so far, this has been great for him. It allows you to not
feel that pressure or chaos that sometimes goes along with
different groups. This starting five has played together for
two years now, and there's a sense of calm out there that I'm
sure he can feel. And it helps him perform a lot better, because
he doesn't have to be out there doing too much. He looks great."
Wesley did some light work during Monday's practice. But having
a hamstring injury for the first time -- as well as a training-camp
injury -- he's being extra cautious about returning too quickly,
despite the fact that Smith is seeking to take away Wesley's
starting spot.
"I was running and just felt it and wasn't sure what it was,"
Wesley said of the injury. "I took another step and said, 'This
doesn't feel right.' I went to the side and thought I could
stretch it out and keep going. But I've been advised and re-advised
and advised some more not to rush this thing. So I'm just taking
my time.
"I'm feeling better. Today, I actually did some running. But
every time I feel like doing something, I wait a day. I felt I
could move around some yesterday, but I waited until today. It's
feeling a lot better. The tightness has calmed down quite a bit."
Scott said he hopes that Wesley, as well as forward Rodney Rogers,
who also is nursing a hamstring injury, might be able to play
during New Orleans' West Coast exhibition swing next week. He
won't change his mind, he said, about allowing either player to
return too quickly.
But Scott admitted he has changed his mind about how much Smith
might be able to contribute this season.
"In summer league, he showed me he could play," Scott said. "I
just didn't know how much he could play. Each day, he's just
getting better and better. He's to a point right now where he's
a guy I know we can depend on to get some playing time.
"I think initially I was just thinking if I could get his feet
wet each half, four or five minutes, that would help. But the
way he's been playing, and continues to play, he'll get more
time than that."
. . . . . . .
Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or
(504) 826-3814.
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