JR Working to Catch Up

From Scott Souza:

After the shooting exhibition, Giddens - who has drifted into the background at times in training camp - spent an extra 10 minutes talking with Ray Allen, and then continued his shooting after the meeting in what became his custom down at Salve Regina.

In the past, Ray Allen has said he would rather have young players come to him for advice rather than impose his strict workout regimen on them. When Giddens asked him for pointers, he was happy to oblige.

"I think, obviously, him and (fellow rookie) Bill (Walker), and a lot of the guys on the team, have watched me, and (Kevin Garnett) and Paul (Pierce) because we’re older guys and they were young guys growing up seeing us play in the NBA," Ray Allen said. "He’s a guy who wants to be around for a long time. He wants to play well. He wants to be a shooter. It’s only smart for him to ask questions and get a lot of tidbits of information."

Rivers said he is not concerned that Giddens appears a little behind at times in the rapid-fire camp, and Ray Allen said there will continue to be tough lessons for the rookie in upcoming weeks.

"I think the NBA game is what he needs to understand," he said. "I think it’s somewhat of a faulty reality during practice because everyone is fouling, pretty much. You throw the crowd into the building, you throw all these variables into play, and you’ve got to make decisions on the go. I think he’ll learn tomorrow. He’ll see by playing against other players, and having to execute offensive plays when he gets tired, and having to execute defense as well. Defense is probably the toughest thing. Offense, we’ll just run. But defense is something where you have to keep a constant chatter out there. Especially when us, as starters, set a tone and then the young guys getting in there have to keep it and continue it."