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In each of his seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels in college, Wayne Ellington’s teams won 30 or more games. In his first two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA, he’s won 30 games total . . .in a lot more tries.

"It’s been tough," Ellington told HOOPSWORLD. "It’s been really, really tough, but you try to take all the positives from it. I wanted to learn every day and I’m a young player in this league, so there’s a difference between college and the NBA. I’ve just been willing to learn and my ears have been open, I’m learning new things in practice and I’m learning new things in the games. The record has been really tough, but at the same time, I’m just trying to grow as a player, learn new things and try to get us better as a team."

One thing Ellington has always had in his game is a beautiful shot. Opponents recognize the threat he poses, including former MVP’s who are known for shooting the rock.

"He has one of the most pretty shots in the league," said Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. "Three-balls or pull-ups, it looks pretty good, looks pretty smooth.  When he has a good look it’s basically going in. Shooting-wise, he’s probably as pretty as it gets in this league."

Showing steady improvement throughout the season, Ellington is scoring at a higher rate. In fact, he has hit double-digits in nine of Minnesota’s fifteen games since the beginning of February. The trade of Corey Brewer and the subsequent playing time increase have helped, but there is more to his improved play.

"To be honest with you, I think it’s his confidence," Assistant Coach JB Bickerstaff told HOOPSWORLD. "As a rookie, his minutes were kind of up and down, he didn’t know when he was going to play and that messes with a young guy’s mentality. They don’t know what’s coming next, everything is moving so fast, the game is moving faster and everything is happening at a quicker pace for them, so guys are quicker and getting there to contest shots. Those are types of things that affect a guy’s confidence."

The boost in confidence is evident and Ellington’s teammates see it.

"I just think he’s coming out of his rookie shell, so to speak," teammate Kevin Love told HOOPSWORLD. "I feel like he’s been a lot more comfortable. He’s not a rookie anymore, so we’re not making him do any of the rookie duties anymore or anything like that. Although I know he’s not in the best situation as far as playing time, he comes in every day and is the consummate professional.  That’s probably been the biggest thing I’ve noticed about Wayne. He always keeps an even keel and a level head. Very few guys who are 22 or 23-years old do that, so he’s a special person, a special type of player and a great teammate. I very much so enjoy having Wayne on the team."

Ellington is 23-years old and one of the many youngsters on the Timberwolves, yet he carries himself as someone further along in years. He sets an example for the other young players on the team with how he handles the NBA life both on and off the court.

"He’s not one of those guys who is always goofing around," said Bickerstaff. "Those guys that come from North Carolina, they do a really good job of preparing those guys for what they’re going to see. I was in Charlotte with Raymond Felton and Sean May and they do a great job with those Carolina kids of preparing them for what’s coming next. You can tell that as Wayne was growing up he was taught the right way from his parents, from his previous coaches and stuff like that. He’s just that type of kid."

"I think I’ve always been like that," adds Ellington. "That’s just part of my personality and that kind of blends into my game. A lot of young guys are pretty erratic on the court, moving real fast and stuff like that, but I’ve always been a guy that is poised and takes my time. I’m going to play at my pace."

Having the maturity he does, Ellington is more than able to admit the weaknesses in his game. He is very coachable and, unsurprisingly, his coaches rave about him because of that.

"Wayne did a great job this summer where he just went and worked on his game every day," said Bickerstaff. "All of the little things that we asked him to work on last year, he came back and he’s better this year. We asked him to become a better ball-handler, so he could bring the ball up the floor in certain situations. We asked him to work on his passing and he came back and is a much better playmaker. His shot was always good, but it’s more consistent and he’s shooting it with more conviction now than he did his rookie year. Defensively, he’s much better chasing guys off the screens and understanding how to defend, normally, the best players in the world at the two and three spots."

Caron Butler, a teammate of Dirk Nowitzki, also sees both the positive things that Ellington brings to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, his job as an opponent is to find those weaknesses Ellington currently has and to exploit them.

{AUTHOR_BOX}"He’s a good young talent," Butler tells HOOPSWORLD. "He’s a guy who can definitely put the ball on the floor, one or two dribbles and create his own shot. He changes the game for them because he’s a guy who can play off of Kevin Love and Mike Beasley as well. It’s great for him on the offensive end, but it’s tough on the opposing end because he’s quicker than guys at that position. From a defensive standpoint, he’s going to have to be strong enough, agile and crafty enough mentally to handle that position because guys are big. I definitely like what I see."

Ellington agrees with Butler that his size can be used against him on the court, but is working on finding ways to turn that weakness into an advantage.

"Once you play more, you become more consistent and you become more comfortable with what’s going on out there on the floor," said Ellington. "You have to use it to your advantage. I try to be quicker than bigger guys and try to be lower than bigger guys. Being a little smaller has its advantages when you’re facing bigger opponents. Just like they think they have an advantage, I think I have an advantage as well. I look at it like that."

With the work ethic Ellington has, you can expect him to continue to develop. Most important to his development is the fact that he believes in himself.

"He always had the skillset and tools," says Bickerstaff. "The difference between players having success in this league are those guys who believe they can and Wayne now believes he can."

If and when Ellington develops into the player both he wants to be and the Timberwolves want him to become, he may very well be a part of the franchise for a long time. He should also be a big part of the solution to the many games that are currently landing in his team’s loss column.