Sloan pushing Brewer: With time, progress Jazz soph could be in the starting lineup

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Ronnie Brewer's first hard-hitting lesson on what it will take to make it in the NBA came last season in Denver, where the Nuggets assigned a stay-down-low center to guard the Jazz's so-called "shooting" guard.

The insulting insinuation: Brewer's probably not gonna hoist up many outside shots, because he has so much trouble knocking them down even when he's open.

"I told him, 'Does that you send you a message somewhere that 'You've got to work on your shooting?"' Jazz coach Jerry Sloan recalled earlier this week.

Somebody had to say it to then-rookie, so far be it for Sloan — who says "sometimes I'm being the bad guy for telling the truth" — to shy away.

Lesson No. 2 came Wednesday night, when Sloan, go figure, found something else to harp on — despite the reality that Brewer looked impressive to many eyes while scoring a team-high 17 points and hitting 6-of-8 from the field in the Jazz's 90-81 preseason-opening loss to Milwaukee.

"Well, he got some points out there. He was able to shoot the ball," the oft-gruff Jazz coach said. "But the biggest thing is he's got to, you know, try to keep himself involved defensively."

Never mind that Brewer, who started, did use his long reach to create a couple first-half steals, and that Bucks star shooting guard Michael Redd — who merely dropped 57 points when Utah visited Milwaukee last November — managed just 17 of his own on 7-for-14 field shooting.

"He's got to get right back in and be involved defensively," Sloan said. "A couple times he got caught (not displaying) the kind of effort we need from a young guy, the kind of effort we need to get better.

"He was playing a great player," added Sloan, whose Jazz open a three-game preseason trip tonight at Detroit. "You can't always just say, 'OK, beat me.' You've got to get up and try to take something away from him. That's part of learning."

That established, the Jazz may be learning something about a potential answer to their dire needs at the 2 spot.

During training camp in Boise last week, Sloan lauded Brewer — who missed most of the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league with a strained hamstring — for his offseason conditioning.

The Jazz coach also praised the athletic 2006 lottery pick for how he can "get on top of the basket."