[外電] J.R善用他出賽的每一分鐘
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1104735441136680.xml
Smith makes most of minutes
Rookie gains poise and starting spot after Wesley trade
Monday, January 03, 2005
By Benjamin Hochman
Staff writer
BOSTON -- For all you barstool know-it-alls, cantankerous
callers on talk radio and misplaced basketball masterminds
at office water coolers -- relax.
J.R. Smith is going to play more.
Hornets fans had expressed displeasure that the prodigious
first-round draft pick was spending most of his rookie
season on the bench. But the Hornets (2-26) traded shooting
guard David Wesley on Dec. 27, and 19-year-old Smith started
the following two games, showing flashes of maturity.
"J.R.'s tough," said Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni, who watched
Smith score a career-high 23 points against his Suns last
Wednesday. "Obviously, he needs to be seasoned, and he needs
to learn a lot of stuff on the defensive end, but he is one
offensive talent. We liked him when we worked him out this
summer. It depends on J.R., but he could be really good."
Smith, the No. 18 pick in the draft, has averaged 3.8 points
per game in 12.3 minutes, but he began skewing his averages
after the trade. In his first start at Indiana last Monday,
Smith scored 10 points; he dunked three times but he also
missed 11 of 15 shots. Against Phoenix, he scored 23 points
and had career highs in minutes (38), assists (four), field
goals made (10) and 3-pointers made (three). Smith will
start tonight at Boston, and fans should see a more confident
Smith, unlike the player who shot the ball hesitantly earlier
this season.
"Eighty percent of it is confidence -- the rest is athleticism,
and knowing how to play," Smith said. "If you have confidence
in yourself, then your teammates have confidence."
Coach Byron Scott has been hard on "Rook" -- Scott seldom calls
Smith by name -- making Smith earn his way onto the court,
despite the Hornets' abysmal record. Even when New Orleans
played at New Jersey -- Smith's home state -- Scott didn't
play Smith, although nearly 50 of Smith's friends and family
members attended. Smith was struggling on defense and seemed
unconfident on offense, and so, the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder
never got into the flow of games before the trade, playing
double-digit minutes just nine times.
"I never really dealt with it before," said Smith, who was a
McDonald's All-American last year out of St. Benedict's Prep
in Newark, N.J. "I was used to coming in and knocking shots
down. When I started missing, it puts you in a mental state
where you're like -- man, I need to come in the gym more. I
worked with Coach (Jim) Cleamons, and he helped me out."
"A lot of it is confidence, and some of it is technique,"
Scott said. "He has a habit of falling back and being off-
balanced with some of his shots. That's the thing we've been
working on the last week. I've been telling him to make sure
he gets a little lower so when he comes into his shot so he
has that balance. The second thing, when he shoots the ball,
if he can see his hand, the shot's always going to be short.
He's got to get his follow-through higher. He's done that the
last couple of games, even though in the Indiana game it
wasn't going in, he still was getting good looks."
Smith's defense -- or lack thereof -- made him a liability
for Scott. But Scott said the game against Phoenix was
Smith's best yet, as he shut down Joe Johnson for much
of the night.
"He's making smarter decisions and doing a better job on
the defensive end," Scott said.
The most eventful minute of Smith's professional career was
the final of the 107-96 home loss to the Suns. With 58.2
seconds left, Smith made a tough 3-pointer to cut the Suns'
lead to 98-93. But the Suns pushed the ball downcourt, and
point guard Steve Nash penetrated the lane. Smith slipped
in front of him, but Nash found Quentin Richardson -- Smith's
man at the time -- for an open 3-pointer in the right corner.
The Suns were up 101-93 with 43.4 seconds left, and as New
Orleans called timeout, Smith stood motionless with his hands
on the back of his head.
But, Scott said, "He did the right thing. Fifteen games ago,
he wouldn't have done it -- he did his job, stopping the ball.
Steve Nash was driving, he got right there and made him pitch
it. I also thought J.R. did a good job of getting out and
contesting the shot, he just happened to be contesting the
shot of a man who was hot as hell all night."
LINEUP SHUFFLE: Baron Davis will start at point guard tonight,
his first start since Nov. 12. Davis, sidelined with a back
injury, played in the past four games, averaging 13.5 points
in 22.2 minutes.
Scott said there is a good chance that forward Rodney Rogers
(sprained left knee) will be activated from the injured list
and play tonight.
--
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