Hard work pays off for Hassell

Trenton Hassell was praised for having possibly his best game of the season Saturday night. The stat line wasn’t gaudy – six points (3-of-5 shooting), four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes – but his impact isn’t only measured in numbers.

“He has been practicing awfully hard and he has been getting after it,” coach Avery Johnson said following the 111-96 victory over Seattle. “He has been having good positive body language and good energy. I really haven’t given him what you would call a legitimate chance.

“We have tried not playing him. We tried playing [Devean] George a little bit and now we are playing Hassell and we want to see how it is going to go. If he played his worst game of the year, he was going to play again the next game. I just need to stick with him a few games here and give him a shot.”

Hassell more than understands the numbers game. The even-keeled veteran shares the swingman position with Josh Howard, Eddie Jones, Jerry Stackhouse and George. If that’s not enough, Jason Terry slips into the 2-spot for stretches.

“It feels good to be out there, but I know the situation,” said Hassell, traded from Minnesota during training camp. “I know that sometimes I’m not going to play. Sometimes I may play two minutes, three minutes, so it’s just part of being a professional. I’ve got to keep myself ready for when the minutes do come and don’t make myself look too bad.”

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