Jeremy Lamb appreciated the opportunity the Charlotte Hornets provided last season.
Lamb just wasn't good at managing a sudden wealth of playing time.
In his previous three NBA seasons, all with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lamb's minutes were generally sporadic. The Thunder was one of the deepest teams in the NBA, with championship aspirations. Developing Lamb, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard-small forward, didn't appear high on then-coach Scott Brooks' priority list.
It was quite different after Lamb was traded to the Hornets. He immediately entered the playing rotation, and had several big games. The Hornets quickly signed him to a three-season, $21-million contract extension.
And then Lamb's consistency tailed off, and so did his playing time. After playing in each of the Hornets' first 30 games, he had 11 DNP-CDs (did not play by coach's decision) the rest of the season. He had 23 games in double-figure scoring in those first 30 games, and five the rest of the way.
A guy who looked like a Most Improved Player candidate in December was a rotation afterthought in April.
What happened?
"I was good early, and then I just didn't do the things I needed to: It's eating right, it's cold-tubbing every day, it's stretching," Lamb said. "Just the little things that really keep your body going through the season."
The Hornets had an obvious need for Lamb's 3-point shooting and graceful leaping ability. But for much of the second half of last season he fell behind Jeremy Lin and Troy Daniels as a reserve wing player.
Both Lin and Daniels play elsewhere this season, but the Hornets traded for Marco Belinelli to add a veteran at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
What must Lamb show this preseason?
"Sustained consistency," said Hornets coach Steve Clifford.
Clifford certainly hasn't given up on Lamb's potential and that is about more than the team's financial obligation to Lamb. It's about what Lamb demonstrated early, averaging 13.8 points.
"He didn't just play well last season for six games or eight games. Anybody can do that," Clifford said. "But he played well for 25 games. He's more than capable of doing it."
Lamb was selected 12th overall in the 2012 draft by the Houston Rockets, who traded him to the Thunder. Lamb isn't under the misconception being a former lottery pick still grants him job security. Quite the opposite, actually.
"I could have easily been out of the league or been somewhere else. The people I came into the league with, some of them are overseas now. They got cut," Lamb said. "So it was a huge blessing to still be in the league and live my dream."
Now it's less about living the dream and more about managing the reality. Lamb consulted with the coaches and the training staff, and was advised to reset his habits. As he mentioned, that's about establishing a regimen: Better nutrition. Stretching and using the cold tub to keep his body fresh and flexible. Getting more sleep in as regular a pattern as the schedule permits.
If all that sounds like common sense, things he should have grasped long before his fourth NBA season, others who have gone through it say otherwise.
"Young guys have to go through that" transition, said veteran shooting guard Nic Batum. "It's a process, and not always easy to adjust. You're playing four times a week sometimes and maybe traveling to five different cities."
Lamb says he's ready now to make up for what he missed out on the second half of last season.
"When you change your mindset, it doesn't happen overnight. I've been working on it all summer. In training camp, you've got to build on that," Lamb said.
"If you're missing shots, you've got to keep shooting. If you don't get a stop, believe you'll get a stop next time. Help your teammates. Do all the little things that keep you positive."
