By Dave Goldstein
Enquirer contributor

Scott Padgett of the Utah Jazz dunks on the Celtics. (Enquirer news services) | ZOOM |

TORONTO - Scott Padgett can't be blamed for setting his goals a little low early in his career at Kentucky after he scored 2.2 points a game as a freshman, then sat out a year academically ineligible.

"Freshman year I was more worried about staying in school than I was getting to the NBA," Padgett jokes. "I was way down on the bench, so I wasn't thinking about anything at the time but trying to get in the game."

Wildcats fans will remember that Padgett did a lot more than that. The 6-foot-9 forward became a key part of the Kentucky squad that won an NCAA championship in 1998. He started 96 of the final 98 games of his career and earned Academic All-Southeastern Conference honors twice in the process.

But after becoming a first-round pick by the Utah Jazz in 1999, Padgett's momentum slowed, as the start of his NBA career mirrored his start at Kentucky.

Padgett appeared in only 47 games his rookie season, playing fewer than 10 minutes per appearance. He averaged about three points a game and shot just 31 percent from the field.

Things didn't improve much in Padgett's second year, but last season brought a breakthrough. Padgett appeared in 75 games and averaged almost seven points a game on 48 percent shooting, including 43 percent from 3-point range. This season, Padgett has appeared in all 21 Utah games for more than 17 minutes per appearance, averaging almost seven points and more than four rebounds a game.

Utah point guard John Stockton, no stranger to fundamentals, praised Padgett's understanding of the game.

"Scott's one of those guys who knows how to play," Stockton said. "You want him to rebound, he rebounds. He always has his man screened out. He always steps to the ball after he screens. All those little things that make coaches pull their hair out when guys don't do them, Scott does them."

Utah coach Jerry Sloan emphasizes the importance of having Padgett's shooting touch available off the bench, the same touch that was more errant than soft two years ago. The coach said Padgett's improved play has one simple cause: conditioning. Now that Padgett is in better shape, Sloan has not been afraid to put him in the game in any situation, and Padgett has come through.

"Scott is playing the most consistent basketball of just about any player we have right now," Sloan said. "He's finally got himself in very good shape, good enough to be able to shoot the ball. Once he got in better condition, everything got a little better for him.

Just as at Kentucky, Padgett has worked tirelessly to raise his status from benchwarmer to contributor.

He has earned minutes from Sloan, praise from Stockton and respect from the rest of the league for being one of its top marksmen off the bench.

One gets the feeling Scott Padgett is going to go even further in this game - one small step at a time.