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Williams on a roll in Vegas

During his recent stint in the Las Vegas summer league, Lou Williams, the 76ers' third-year guard, was a man in demand. That's what happens when you create a buzz in a city that is used to sizzle.

During his recent stint in the Las Vegas summer league, Lou Williams, the 76ers' third-year guard, was a man in demand. That's what happens when you create a buzz in a city that is used to sizzle.

During his five-game performance in Las Vegas, Williams managed to stand out.

And in a summer league in which the headliners included Portland rookie center Greg Oden, Seattle's versatile Kevin Durant, and Memphis point guard Mike Conley Jr., that wasn't easy.

Williams earned the attention by averaging 25.2 points in five games. More important, he couldn't be stopped when taking the ball to the basket. That's why he attempted 66 foul shots.

Playing five games in six days after a grueling five days of minicamp taught Williams something about himself.

"It showed me I am a lot tougher than I thought I was," he said last week in Las Vegas before the team departed for the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league in Utah.

Williams, who will turn 21 on Oct. 27, was younger than many of the players in the summer league.

"His maturity out here was one of the biggest things I was impressed with," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Running a basketball team, and when he had to look to score, he scored, and when he had to look to pass, he passed."

Williams felt good about himself at the end of last season, when he saw more playing time, averaging 12.8 points in his final seven games. Knowing he could solidify his spot as the backup point guard behind Andre Miller, he approached this off-season seriously.

"I didn't want to come back sloppy and out of shape, so I stayed on the track in my old high school and worked on sprinting," Williams said. "Even when I played pickup ball, I worked on beating everybody up the court just to keep my heart rate and to stay in shape."

Others have noticed.

"What I like is his conditioning, because he's in great shape," said an Eastern Conference scout who requested anonymity. "He runs all day and doesn't seem to get tired, and I'm impressed with how much he has improved since high school."

Williams was the 45th pick in the second round of the 2005 draft out of South Gwinnett High in Georgia. His two-year apprenticeship has taught him what it takes to earn minutes.

"I like his body and his speed," said San Antonio assistant coach Don Newman, who guided the Spurs' summer team in Las Vegas. "His grit is what gets him over the edge, because he believes he belongs."

Williams said he will be disappointed if he isn't a regular in the rotation next season, and he believes his performance in Las Vegas will help him achieve that.

"This was a confidence-builder, but now I have to go back to the drawing board, go back home to Atlanta to start working on things," he said.

The 6-foot-1 Williams was in demand by the media after scoring on a bring-the-house-down, tomahawk dunk over Brian Cusworth, Golden State's 7-foot center.

In the summer league. The Sixers improved to 4-0 in the Rocky Mountain Revue with last night's 98-86 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Williams scored 24 points and added six assists. Thaddeus Young had 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Louis Amundson contributed 17 points. Rookie Jason Smith left the game with a left ankle sprain and is out for the remainder of the summer games.