Timberwolves big man Craig Smith probably hasn't hit the so-called rookie wall yet, which mostly is a good thing for the wall.
Actually, being burly and able to bang small walls into piles of bricks is no guarantee a first-year player won't run out of gas or face adjustments at some point in the NBA season.
The rookie wall, that figurative barrier that stands between fresh legs and rubber ones, between unbridled enthusiasm and the glassy-eyed stare of fatigue, typically kicks in later and affects new guys logging the heaviest minutes. Smith has appeared in each of the Wolves' 32 games, averaging 17 minutes. That's about half of what he played last season for Boston College, when he totaled 1,305 minutes in 36 games.
"It's a big adjustment coming from college," Smith said. "You don't have back-to-back games there. You have a day or two off. As far as the traveling, too, it's kind of hard moving from city to city, coming home for one night and then the next night, you might not even be in the country -- you're in Canada. That wear and tear is pretty tough."
Maybe that's what Smith is dealing with lately. Maybe it's the switch back to the leather basketball, which Smith never had used.
Whatever the reason, in four January games the rookie has averaged only 2.5 points, compared with 6.2 in December and 8.3 in November. His stint against Houston on Sunday lasted only 11 minutes because of three quick fouls.
And yet, Smith's only real dropoff -- based on his production per minute -- has come in scoring. Before the Wolves' current hot streak -- 7-2 over the past nine games -- Smith averaged one point every 2.34 minutes, one rebound every 3.59 minutes and one foul every 6.77 minutes. Starting with the Dec. 23 victory at Indiana, his numbers have been one point every 4.21 minutes, one rebound every 3.56 minutes and one foul every 6.62 minutes.
So, even if Smith has lengthened his typical gameday nap from 90 minutes to 2 ½ hours to get enough rest, he senses that opponents have scouted him more thoroughly now. No more sneaking up on people as a second-round pick lugging few expectations.
