Basketball - A Rookie Is Energizing the Nets at Power Forward
Josh Boone?s N.B.A. coming-out party has been light on scintillating spin moves and acrobatic dunks, and heavy on craft, quick thinking and positioning. It has been demure, much like his demeanor.
In victories over the Charlotte Bobcats and the Indiana Pacers, Boone made a combined 21 of 23 shots and scored 43 points. Over the past three games he has hit 13 shots and 9 shots in a row. His shots have all come from point-blank range and he has been the beneficiary of pinpoint passes from players like Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Marcus Williams.
?When you have guys that are making passes the way my teammates are, it?s relatively easy because they draw so much attention that there?s typically no one within a couple feet of me,? Boone said.
Boone, 22, is still eons away from becoming the athletic power forward who could save the Nets. He is averaging 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds a game. But his recent impact has been clear. He is proving he can punish teams that do not defend him. That could come in handy for the Nets (33-38) tonight when they play the Detroit Pistons, a defensive-minded team that has the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Boone scored a career-high 21 points (on 10-of-10 shooting) against the Bobcats last Saturday, then broke that mark with 22 points in the Nets? next game, against the Pacers on Wednesday night. Although Boone?s shots were all near the basket, what he did might not have been as simple as it looked.
?You got to withstand all those bumps and pushes and everything that some people don?t see,? said Mikki Moore, the Nets? starting center.
Boone, the 23rd pick in last summer?s draft, missed all of training camp and the first 15 games of the season with a shoulder injury and struggled to make baskets of any kind early in the season. He looked hesitant and uncomfortable around the rim. He was susceptible to getting blocked.
?At first, he was trying to shoot it real fast, instead of gathering himself and absorbing the contact,? Moore said.
?Earlier on in the season, there were times when I wouldn?t finish plays that I thought I should be finishing,? said Boone, who spent three seasons at Connecticut. ?It was getting me a little bit down. My teammates were always there to pick me up.?
Williams, who played with Boone at Connecticut, said that once Boone got comfortable, he would prove that he could create his own shot.
?I?ve seen it for three years,? Williams said. ?Sometimes, you?ll throw it in the post and he?ll work his magic.?
One of Boone?s mentors and staunchest supporters has been Nets power forward Cliff Robinson, who is in his 18th N.B.A. season and also attended Connecticut.
But Boone?s emergence could lead to the end of Robinson?s career.
Coach Lawrence Frank told Robinson before a recent road game that, depending on the matchups, Boone might take some of his minutes. Robinson, a player who always stands up for his teammates, said he was happy to see Boone excel.
?In my 18th season, to sit around and be mad about the fact that I?m not playing in certain opportunities, I?m not going to do that,? the 40-year-old Robinson said.
Robinson, a better one-on-one low-post defender than Boone, could see more time when the Nets face teams with strong post players. Boone said he realized that his defense needed the most improvement, although he was the Big East?s defensive player of the year as a sophomore at Connecticut.
Boone?s biggest advantage might be his fresh legs. He missed the first month of the season and has averaged only 9.5 minutes a game.
And with the Nets in the midst of a battle for a playoff spot, Boone could not have picked a better time to find his touch.
REBOUNDS
Nets guard Eddie House is out indefinitely with a mild concussion and a partly torn muscle in his left hip. House was injured during Wednesday night?s victory over the Indiana Pacers
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