http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/109014094431400.xml Rookie Smith making mark in summer ball West, Pickett also impressive in early play Sunday, July 18, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer LONG BEACH, CALIF. -- Before last month's NBA draft, Hornets coach Byron Scott had only watched first-round pick J.R. Smith compete against overmatched high school players on videotape. This week Scott stood a few feet from the court so he wouldn't miss anything Smith did while competing against NBA-caliber talent at the Southern California Pro Summer League at Long Beach State. After evaluating three games, Scott is more certain now about Smith's potential as a scorer. But Scott isn't ready to declare Smith a star, because the competition he faced is not as competitive to what he will face in the regular season. There were no All-Stars competing in the summer league. "What I love about him is that he can create his own shot, and really stretch a defense because he has such great range on his shots," Scott said. "When I see him on the court I get excited, but I'm trying to hold a lot of it in right now because there are a lot of things he still has to work on." One is improving his conditioning. In his opening game Monday, Smith appeared to get tired late in the third quarter, losing his assertiveness on offense. He was held to two points in the second half after scoring 17 in the first half. "He's working right now," Scott said. "It seems like his legs are getting back into it, and that's a plus. He's played three games and did exactly what I wanted him to do, and that's getting experience." On Wednesday Smith was matched against Josh Howard, the Dallas Mavericks' first-round pick in 2003. Howard, an effective outside shooter, made 12 of 16 shots for 30 points. Smith shot 12-of-25 from the field and scored a game-high 35 points in 36 minutes. "I'm getting experience right now, because I expect to come in and help right away to get my team into the playoffs," said Smith, who was one of the eight high school players selected in the first round of last month's draft. In the summer league, Smith competes on a team that includes second-round draft pick Tim Pickett and Hornets forward David West, a first-round pick in the 2003 draft. They have a six-game schedule, and through three games Smith leads the team with a 22.0 scoring average. "You can see potential written all over J.R.," said Hornets general manager Allan Bristow, who watched two games before going back to New Orleans on Thursday. "It means a lot for a young player like J.R. to play 80 percent of the game and not have to think every time he makes a mistake that he's going to be yanked." Scott hasn't spent all of his time evaluating Smith. He wanted to see if West could develop as a scorer. West is averaging 15 points in the past two games. Against the Mavericks, he made seven of 14 shots for 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Last season, West averaged 3.8 points. "I think he has a wonderful way of putting the ball on the floor, and he's a good passer off the dribble," Scott said. "I think he's a guy who can really help us this season. It's just a matter of him getting in here and getting some experience and more playing time." Hornets director of player personnel Jeff Bower, who is coaching the summer league team, said it took West a game to realize he needed to assert himself more. West took only five shots and scored 10 points Monday against the Grizzlies. "In the first game he didn't realize that he was still playing into his role of last year," Bower said. "But for Games 2 and 3, he really stepped up offensively." Once training camp starts, Pickett must earn a roster spot. Second-round draft picks don't have guaranteed contracts until they make the team. This week Pickett, who played at Florida State, showed his versatility to play point guard and shooting guard, and that's likely to help his chances. Pickett also showed hustle, diving on the floor several times for loose balls. "I love his energy," Scott said. "He's an emotional-type player. When we start practicing, he's going to go after Baron Davis, J.R. and whoever else because that's the only way he knows how to play." Scott said the Hornets made a good decision to send their two draft picks and West to the summer league. "Hopefully they will continue to work and grow from this," Scott said. "Competing here lets them know what they need to work on before training camp starts. If they don't know what they need to concentrate on, I'll let them know." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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