LAS VEGAS — There is a freedom to playing summer league that sits well with Ty Lawson. It’s like a large weight that’s no longer there.
And yet, the Nuggets guard still has to perform.
Expectations aren’t getting any smaller for the speedster, who burst onto the scene last season in a blur of layups and steals and flashy assists. And he’s here, at summer league in Las Vegas, to make certain he continues to meet an ever-rising bar and the expectation that he’ll play a bigger chunk of minutes this winter.
“Everybody is happy with what he did last year and where he was,” Nuggets assistant Chad Iske said. “I think it’s just continuing for him to grow as a professional. This gives him the chance to be the leader of a team, a little bit, to where he’s now a veteran and has been through it.”
And while Lawson’s expressed desire is to improve his shooting, the Nuggets boil down everything that needs to happen for the guard to improve to one thing — confidence.
“We want him to be assertive as a point guard,” Iske said. “I think George has complete faith in him out on the floor and wants him to have more faith in himself when he’s out there, taking control, calling a play, being aggressive, not being afraid to shoot the ball. He can shoot the ball, and I think sometimes he hesitates because of the veterans he’s out there with, and wants to make sure that he’s keeping them happy and running stuff through them.
“We have ultimate confidence in him. Somewhat, we want him to have more confidence in himself when it comes regular-season time and feel like he can be assertive even though he’s out there with great players.”
Lawson is the clear focal point of this season’s summer league team. It’s his to run. It’s his to assume a leadership role, both vocally and by example. He turned heads as a rookie, averaging 8.3 points and 3.1 assists, numbers that were the best by any Nuggets rookie since Carmelo Anthony averaged 21.0 and 6.1 rebounds in 2003-04.
And by all rights, Lawson’s summer season got off to a good start, with 11 points and five assists in a Nuggets win over Dallas on Friday. He scored eight of those after halftime and knocked down 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
“Right now I’m just working on my shot, getting my release point higher,” Lawson said. “I’m not really used to it. I’m not going to break the routine just because I’m playing in the summer league. I’m going to keep shooting the way I’ve been, but releasing higher, getting the ball higher.
“And my handles, getting them faster and controlling the ball a lot easier. Those are the things I’ve worked on so far; hopefully this summer proves that I did.”
Before arriving back in Denver for summer league practices, Lawson spent June working with Nuggets assistant Adrian Dantley for individual workouts in Washington, D.C. North Carolina coach Roy Williams also invited Lawson back to Chapel Hill to work with the Tar Heels’ newest crop of talent.
But playing, and improving, in the summer is the goal. To do that, getting in repetitions against NBA-caliber competition is key.
“The goal is to get better and to get more game experience,” Lawson said. “This will probably be my time to go out and show everybody what I can do and what I’ve improved on. And just play hard. It gives me a chance to do things that Coach Karl wouldn’t let me do in the regular season. I can play my game without any worries.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
