INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- After struggling last season, it looks as if Daniel Gibson has returned to the rookie form that made him a fan favorite.
After last year, that would be a relief for Gibson, a 6-foot-2 guard out of the University of Texas. Though the season is still very young, Gibson is posting improved numbers over last year, when he suffered a toe injury that affected his shot.
He's averaging 8.4 points on 44 percent shooting and is making an eye-popping 52 percent of his 3-point attempts. Those stats stand in stark contrast to the 39 percent he shot last year and the 7.8 points he averaged per game.
Gibson can't point to one thing that has improved his game since last season, but health certainly contributes.
"I think it's just a combination of everything," he said. "With Shaquille (O'Neal), you get a lot more open shots -- the same shots I always got with LeBron (James), Mo (Williams) and Delonte (West)," he said. "So I just think it's a combination of me being back to 100 percent and me putting in the time and my teammates getting me open looks."
Indeed, double teams on O'Neal went a long way toward freeing Gibson for some wide-open looks against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night and Gibson took advantage. He made 5-of-8 shots, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, to score 14 points.
He appears to be shooting the ball with more confidence than last season, which is evident in the lack of hesitation when he goes to take a shot.
"Making shots breeds confidence, defensively as well as offensively, so I think my making shots helped me on the defensive end and I just think it will continue," Gibson said.
Cavs coach Mike Browns said Gibson has boosted his defensive game as well. He particularly liked what he saw out of Gibson against the Wizards, when Gibson took two charges, one from DeShawn Stevenson and another from huge forward Andray Blatche.
"He's a good defender," Brown said. "He's one of our better defenders especially off the ball. He knows what his assignment is and he does it fearlessly. He is tough."
Gibson said he has just been doing his job.
"That's just something we've been talking about defensively, helping each other out on (that) end. It's just working hard at it," he said.
Gibson is quick to admit that last year was frustrating to him with the lingering injury, which he said doctors call turf toe.
"I always felt no matter how many shots I miss, the next one was going in," he said. "Over time, I started to be so inconsistent with the way I was shooting the ball. It affects you. At the same time, I never stopped working and I never stopped believing that I was going to make shots."
Brown said that he's seen improvement in Gibson's game on both ends of the court. He's shown that he's growing up in the NBA by the way he's handled his adversity.
"There's some improvement," Brown said. "You can see the confidence that he has. That itself will help a lot of people in this league. Going through different experiences, whether they're good or bad, is a positive for everybody, especially at this level, so you can see the maturity he has gained on the floor."
Buzzer beaters
Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls will be the Cavs' first against a Central Division foe this season. Last year, they were 3-1 against the Bulls, who will come into Quicken Loans Arena without scoring machine Ben Gordon, who signed with the Detroit Pistons in the offseason. ... The Bulls are 2-2 and are coming off a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
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