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Damien Wilkins

"Everyone here is pretty much new," said Wilkins. "We have new teammates, new locker room, new carpet - everything is new. Even the parking lot is different. This is a fresh start for all of us."

"Everyone here is pretty much new. This is a fresh start for all of us." Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty

So far, Wilkins appears to be taking full advantage. On the strength of a solid training camp, Wilkins has started three of the team's five preseason games at small forward, including the last two. While Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo is far from ready to pick a lineup for the regular season, Wilkins is very much in the mix to be a part of the starting five.

That chance is a change from the past two seasons, when Wilkins entered training camp knowing he would back up All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis on the wing.

"It is a lot different," Wilkins said. "Shoot, when Ray and Rashard were here, you just knew you were going to be seventh, eighth or ninth (in the rotation) and hopefully that's where you fell. You didn't want to fall any lower than that because I don't think we played any lower than that - we didn't play 10.

"Granted, we do have great players here, guys that can do a lot of things at every position. But obviously Ray and Rashard, they're two special players. Now that they've gone on to do their own thing, the opportunity on the wings is endless."

At the same time, Wilkins is not the only player trying to take advantage of that opportunity. The Sonics are deep on the wings, with rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, veteran Wally Szczerbiak and holdover Mickaël Gelabale all competing with Wilkins for playing time.

"I think it motivates everyone," explained Wilkins. "Everyone realizes they have an opportunity to get out there and get minutes. The way you do that is practice - playing hard in practice, competing in practice, making each other better - and also making that transition during these preseason games and showing the things that you can do."

Wilkins can separate himself from that group with his work at the defensive end. He has served as a perimeter stopper off the bench for the Sonics the last two seasons, sharing that role with Gelabale last year. The last two games, Wilkins has opened up with the defensive assignment on opposing high scorers Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.

"As coach has I'm sure echoed to you guys," he said, "the only guys who are going to play are guys who are going to compete defensively. We've got to get stops first before we think about anything else."

While still known primarily for his defense, Wilkins has worked hard to elevate his game at the other end of the floor. The practice he has put in to improve his jumpshot showed off last season, when he hit a team-high 41.0% of his three-point attempts - a dramatic step up from the 26.1% he shot from downtown during his first two NBA seasons.

It has been when injuries to Allen or Lewis have given him the opportunity to start and play regularly that Wilkins has been most potent during his career so far. In 50 career starts, he has averaged 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. His scoring improves from 13.5 points per 40 minutes as a reserve to 15.1 as a starter, and his shooting percentage is also better in starts (45.1% vs. 42.8%).

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As a starter, said Wilkins, "You can go out there, relax and just take everything slowly, play at a good pace and be patient, not try to force things. Obviously, having that opportunity gives you a lot more confidence as well. Shots start to fall, the shot starts to feel a little better. Things go your way more often."

With the Sonics preparing for the final week of the preseason and then to open the regular season next Tuesday in Denver, Wilkins is excited about the team coming together.

"We've gotten better along the way," he said. "Practices have been tough pretty much every day we've come out here. I think we need to make the transition of the effort that we give in practice to the games. I think that's the last part that we need right now. If we can do that, we'll be on our way to something good."

Already, Wilkins can see that change should make this is a good season for him.

"I have fresh air," Wilkins said. "It's refreshing. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and enjoy each day that I'm here and enjoy the opportunity to go out and play and be a leader."