Felton Exuding Confidence
October 5, 2006

To fully appreciate the value of a year’s experience in the NBA, you need only spend a few minutes watching Raymond Felton.

Watch Raymond run. Watch Raymond shoot. Watch Raymond deliver a pinpoint pass. Watch Raymond stride onto the court with a hint of a swagger, obviously in much more of a comfort zone as he begins his second season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

In the early days of the team’s training camp on the UNC Wilmington campus, Felton has been a young man in a hurry, from repeatedly breaking ahead of the pack when running sprints to making no-apology forecasts on the playoff potential of this third-year franchise.

Asked how much responsibility he is ready to assume as a point guard, he didn’t hesitate with an answer.

“I want to be a leader,” he said. “I want to be the leader for this team. And I’ll take what goes with that. I’ll take all the blame for anything. Put it on my shoulders. I can handle that.”

His confidence in himself and his young, talented teammates was obvious from the beginning when Felton came in last October as a rookie from North Carolina and began talking unabashedly about making the playoffs.

It didn’t happen, but the Bobcats might well have been in the chase for a low-rung post-season spot had it not been for major injuries to key players. Felton, taking advantage of the presence of veteran point guard Brevin Knight, spent much of the season adjusting to the pro game.

Then, in the late stages, he was on the floor more and more, playing often in tandem with Knight, and he flourished. He averaged an NBA-best 16.7 points after Feb. 1 and the league named him Rookie of the Month in February, March and April. It wasn’t enough to suit many voters around the league, who left him off the All-Rookie team. The omission may seem especially glaring if he goes forward at his current pace.

“That’s something I won’t comment on,” Felton said this week. “But I will say that’s just more motivation and that’s all I’m going to say.”

The way he’s going he may not need additional motivation. He learned from the outset from Knight, a savvy 10-year veteran who had career-high numbers last season in points (12.6) and minutes played (34.1) while also averaging 8.8 assists and 2.3 steals. And once Felton got on the floor for longer stays, it was difficult to remove him.

“Just watching Brevin, seeing the chances he takes, the chances he doesn’t take, Ray learned from that,” said Bobcats forward Sean May, a former Tar Heel teammate of Felton. “He understood that for him to stay on the court he had to make good decisions.”

Said head coach and general manger Bernie Bickerstaff: “Raymond is amazing in terms of his progression.”

Bickerstaff attributes much of Felton’s progress to his work ethic and a willingness to make adjustments, citing in particular a change in his shooting technique that helped him reach double-figure scoring in 37 of the season’s final 43 games.

“It’s just time that’s going to make him better,” Bickerstaff said. “Because he wants it and he’ll put the effort in. And he’s got a pretty good mentor in terms of being able to go every day against Brevin.”

Felton points to his comfort level as a key to his own game.

“Having one year under your belt helps you out tremendously,” he said. “It’s almost like you’re a veteran and you know what’s going on. You know what to expect. You’re that much more comfortable.

“I’m not necessarily more confident – I always have my confidence. I’m much more comfortable, though, no question. I was just driven (in the second half of last season). When I got on the floor I was just saying, ‘I’m going to do whatever I have to do (to stay there).’ ”

Felton will be on the floor a lot this season, as will Knight. At times they will be there together, especially if the health and play of a deeper frontcourt allows Bickerstaff the freedom to use two small guards (Felton 6-1, Knight 5-10) at the same time. Bickerstaff has not defined specific roles and, to the credit of the coaches and the players involved, the competition appears healthy from every angle. The topic never comes up at camp unless introduced by the media.

No matter how the scenario unfolds, though, two things are clear: Felton is the point guard of the future, as the team has said since he was drafted.

And, the future is closer and closer at hand.