Hickson is adjusting to life without LeBron, starting with the Vegas Summer League, where the 6-9 forward surprisingly has decided to make an appearance.
J.J. Hickson has proven his ability to get to the basket and finish, as he displayed against Sacramento's Andres Nocioni last March. But he wants to develop a mid-range game to help the Cavaliers' offense this season.LAS VEGAS -- When LeBron James left the Cavaliers last week, it required everyone in the organization to re-evaluate everything. That includes the players.
Even if it is uncomfortable for the team to discuss or fans to think about, getting ready for life after James is going to be the theme for many months.
J.J. Hickson was one of the Cavs who closest to James, bonding with him last summer and creating a strong on-court and off-court relationship. But Hickson is now taking steps to adjust. It starts with the Vegas Summer League, where the 6-9 forward surprisingly has decided to make an appearance.
It is unusual for players going into their third season to play in Vegas, especially after Hickson became a core player last season when he started 73 games at power forward and center.
Hickson said he's playing, basically at his own discretion, because he knows how important next season is going to be for him. He's coming into the five games -- the Cavs open at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the D-League Select on NBA TV -- with several goals.
"I wanted to come here to stay in shape but also work on my jump shot," Hickson said after practice at a Vegas high school on Monday. "I've been doing a ton of shooting both where I have been working out in Atlanta and back in Cleveland."
Last season, a breakout one for Hickson in many ways, he averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.5 minutes. Those minutes and his shots are expected to go up as the Cavs rely on him for more scoring.
But two-thirds of Hickson's shots came in the paint and nearly a quarter were dunks. Hickson was the team leader with 130 of them, and he made 68 percent of those close attempts. When he ventured outside the paint, however, he shot just 30 percent.
When the league got Hickson scouted a few months into the year, they defended him by staying close when he was near the rim but leaving him when he was outside the paint.
So Hickson is working on footwork and his release with the help of assistant coach Chris Jent, who helped James improve his shot over the past three seasons. Hickson is going to test out his improvement during summer league, mostly focusing on 15- to 18-foot jumpers.
"I already know that I'm athletic enough to finish around the rim," Hickson said. "I'd like to be able to be able to be in some pick-and-pop plays, be able to convert jumpers as the trail man on fastbreaks and even open up out of the post. Guys were waiting for me at the rim and I've got to make them come out on me a little bit."
Hickson is also working on something else in Vegas. As the most veteran player on the team that includes roster players Danny Green and Christian Eyenga, Hickson is going to attempt to take on a leadership role.
At just age 21, that isn't exactly natural, especially for a player who was often treated like a rookie by older teammates even in his second season.
"I'm trying to learn how to be a veteran and I'm working on developing a leadership role out here," Hickson said. "It's funny, because I'm trying to work with the young guys but actually they're mostly still older than me."
Hickson won't have James or Shaquille O'Neal, who is unlikely to re-sign with the team, as mentors anymore. So the entire Vegas experience is aimed not just at developing his game but also developing his place on the roster.
"Last week was very hard, LeBron is my guy," Hickson said.
"But people get traded and they move from team to team all of the time, it is part of what happens in this league. He's going to be missed, but he's not here and I've got to move on. I've got to step up my role on the team. I learned so much from LeBron and Shaq and I was blessed to have played with them."