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In his first year in Portland, his second in the NBA, Wesley Matthews is quickly becoming one of the most respected young players in the league. Averaging 16.4 points while shooting 44% from the field and almost 40% from three-point range, Matthews utilized that ever-important time between his rookie and sophomore seasons in the NBA to work on his game and that work is showing.

"At the end of the season last year, I got hungry and I just did everything," Matthews told HOOPSWORLD. "I tasted what the playoffs are like, what a little bit of success is like and I want to be great in this game. That’s what my focus has been."

While outsiders focus on storylines such as the Brandon Roy situation or LaMarcus Aldridge and his All-Star snub, his teammates see his improvement. They appreciate all of what he does on the court, especially when it takes pressure off the shoulders of the team’s stars.

"He’s playing well and he’s taken on that role of the second scorer," said LaMarcus Aldridge. "He’s learning how to be consistent, which is something we all need to do. Overall, he’s been great this season and he’s been very big for me, having that other guy who can score consistently or, at least, pass to when they double me."

Although he has the exuberance of the 24-year-old he is, he also has that cool demeanor of someone who knows the ropes. Only in the NBA for a little over a year, Matthews has been fortunate to learn from some of the most professional people in the league, such as current teammate Marcus Camby, Head Coach Nate McMillan and, of course, the recently retired Utah Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan.

"He is a guy who if you were on the outside looking in, you wouldn’t think this was his second year in the NBA," said Marcus Camby. "The way he carries himself, the way he approaches the game and his professionalism are all like a guy who has been in the league eight, nine or ten years. I watched him from afar down in Utah and could see how hard he worked, but actually having the chance to play with him in practice and see him perform in games? I’m glad he’s on my side now."

McMillan agrees, ready to sing the praises of Matthews whenever possible. The Portland franchise saw all of these wonderful aspects in a rookie on another team, targeted him as a young player going about the NBA life the right way, and brought him into their team.

"Character was a part of that, but also how competitive of a player we felt he was," said McMillan. "We also felt that he could get better, he would get better and that he was hungry. He goes undrafted and has to come through the backdoor in this league and work himself onto a roster, onto the floor and we just felt that in that guy, we had nothing but a winner. With him being so young, he was going to get better and this is the type of guy that you want to build a team with."

Having the proper professionalism certainly puts you ahead of someone who doesn’t, but success in the NBA doesn’t come about with only that. Of course, there must be results on the court. With Brandon Roy’s knee surgeries, Matthews immediately stepped in and was able to do so without any drop-off from Portland’s former All-Star. In fact, with the outside range he possesses as well as his abilities on both ends of the court, Matthews may bring more to the table. That doesn’t mean he is satisfied in any way because he wants to win.

"Individual success comes with team success," said Matthews. "It’s a team game. If you want to be an individual, go run track, play tennis or something like that. Maybe my Mom and family instilled that in me, but four years of college at Marquette really made me realize that it’s not about you. It’s bigger than you. This game is bigger than one person. That’s what my mentality has always been." 

{AUTHOR_BOX}If Matthews or any other player forgets that point, there are plenty of people who will remind them.

"He couldn’t do that here," said Aldridge. "I wouldn’t allow him to think about individual things because we’re about winning here. Since I came here and they told Brandon (Roy) and myself that they wanted us to guide this team, we’ve been all about winning only. Wes fits into that culture and that’s why they signed him. He’s about winning, he plays team basketball and he plays together. That’s what he’s about."

With most of the talk on teammate LaMarcus Aldridge’s snub and his MVP-level of play as of late, it is easy to forget that Matthews will represent the Portland Trail Blazers at All-Star weekend in the Rookie/Sophomore game. With a big weekend coming up, Matthews’ teammates expect him to absorb a lot when surrounded by the greatest current and former players in Los Angeles.

"That kind of stuff is big for your confidence," said Roy. "Just being able to be there with those players, you get to feel that aura that those guys carry. It’s good because you bring that back to your team. You bring kind of that swag of being one of the top guys. It’s good for him and it’s good for his confidence. He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t need that stuff, but it’s always good to be recognized."

Ever the professional, Matthews isn’t looking too far ahead without keeping his priorities in order.

"I woke up to a whole bunch of messages and found out I was invited to play in the Sophomore game. I’m excited about it, I’m going to go have fun and represent Portland. I was excited about it, but I’m not thinking about it now. We still have games before the break, so I’m not checked out of it."

Having a small taste of both team and individual success, Matthews continues to work on his game. Dating all the way back to college, he has achieved every goal he has set for himself. There remain many more goals for Matthews, as he is constantly searching to address any weaknesses in his game.

"I don’t look at them as weaknesses," said Matthews. "I look at them as opportunities. It’ll play out at the end of the season because I’ll keep digesting film, critiquing myself after every game like I always do and see how I stack up at the end of the season."

With his work ethic and ability to follow through, expect another large improvement next year from Matthews.