The excitement was palpable as soon as Luke Ridnour checked into the first quarter of an otherwise largely meaningless exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors last Wednesday. Ridnour had made his return to the court following a four-month absence caused by a severely pulled abdominal muscle that required surgery and a chip fracture of his pelvic bone the previous Saturday in Spokane, but for the first time since being drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, he was stepping onto the KeyArena hardwood.

Ridnour’s KeyArena debut was eye-opening. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

All eyes were on Ridnour, and with good reason. Sonics fans were getting their first opportunity to see with their own eyes whether the first-round draft pick was the can't-miss prospect with unparalleled offensive talent he had appeared to be at the University of Oregon, or the can't-defend question mark he had been made out to be in the days leading up to the draft.

Already, the reviews were in from the Sonics, and they were unanimously positive. Coach Nate McMillan, who hadn't had the opportunity to see Ridnour live before he joined his roster, raved after Ridnour's first full practice.

"I don't think those guys have seen that type of play really since McMillan was on the floor," the coach joked, adding Ridnour had the ball "on a rope".

Brent Barry, serving as Ridnour's veteran mentor this season, was equally impressed.

"He's the best point guard on the team right now," Barry told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "And as he gets into the flow of things he's only going to become better, but he's the best point guard already."

Still, fans had yet to make their own judgement on Ridnour. It would not take long. On the first Sonics possession following his entry to the game, Ridnour drove the lane and dropped the ball off to a wide-open Jerome James, who nailed a jumper to give the Sonics the lead. The next two possessions saw Ridnour hit Vladimir Radmanovic for jumpers, a two and a three. Ridnour capped off the scintillating series by perfectly executing a fast-break lob to Rashard Lewis for an alley-oop dunk.

Total time elapsed: 115 seconds. Sonics points: 9. Ridnour assists: 4. Fans won over: As many as were in KeyArena.

Considering it was just Ridnour's second pro game, and he'd been practicing with the team for less than a week, he could have been excused for leaving off there. He didn't. When Ridnour was removed at the 5:09 mark of the second quarter, he had nine assists and the Sonics had gone from down one when he entered the game to up 11 when he left. Most impressively, of the 27 points the Sonics scored during Ridnour's ten minutes and eighteen seconds of first-half playing time, Ridnour scored six and assisted on 19. Ridnour finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 assists in 23 minutes, the assists tying the most handed out by any player during the preseason.

Afterwards, Ridnour's teammates continued praising him.

"He’s kind of like watching a guy catch a kickoff. I know it’s early and I don’t want to put high expectations on him but I think he can handle it," said Barry, specifically referring to Kansas City Chiefs star Dante Hall. "It’s like watching a guy in the open field. … You are just expecting a great play to happen. More often than not, I think it’s going to."

McMillan paid Ridnour the ultimate complement for a point guard, saying, "He makes guys better. His court vision is just unbelievable and tonight he showed again that he gets everybody involved. These guys are liking what they see when he comes into the game. They are moving a little faster because they know that he will get him the ball if they get themselves open."

Fans and coaches alike have been dazzled by Ridnour’s ballhandling ability. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

And the rookie himself? He was as modest as ever, saying, "It was exciting to get a chance to play at home. It was exciting to just get a chance to play with the guys. It was a lot of fun."

The most remarkable aspect of Ridnour's performance against the Warriors was how quickly it came. Ridnour had been fully participating in Sonics practices for less than a week, having finally been cleared to practice the previous Thursday. It was anticipated that the late start would keep Ridnour from making an early impact for the Sonics, especially given the difficulties any rookie point guard experiences in making the adjustment to the NBA. Instead, Ridnour blended in seamlessly with the Sonics, especially working well with James, who had four scores off Ridnour feeds, three of them dunks. After a recent Sonics practice, Ridnour brought that chemistry back to the team as a whole.

"I think it starts in the locker room, everyone gets along so well and then you have good chemistry on your team," he said. "When you get on the court, that makes it a lot easier. When everyone gets along and isn't afraid to pass the ball and share the ball, your team usually has success."

Now Ridnour proves on to a new test, his most challenging yet - the grind of the NBA regular season. Injuries to guards Ray Allen and Antonio Daniels mean that Ridnour will play a key role in the early going for the Sonics, one that he appears ready for. Still, the rookie from tiny Blaine, Washington expressed some nervousness before the Sonics traveled to Japan, if nothing out of the ordinary.

"You get nervous for every game." Ridnour said. "I'm excited about it, and you just have to approach it like another game."

In a remarkable change, the challenge for McMillan is now to keep Ridnour from having to do too much too fast. When Allen was ruled out for the trip to Japan, it was only natural for fans to wonder if Ridnour might not take his starting spot with Barry sliding to the shooting guard position. McMillan never even considered it, wanting to take the pressure off of his rookie.

It's an admirable attempt by McMillan, but be sure of this. If Ridnour keeps performing as he has thus far in his precocious NBA career, it will be impossible to keep him out of the lineup for long.