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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