Can that, in the no-foul-out world of summer pro ball, be a good thing?

"I've stayed nicely aggressive, I haven't been tentative at all in any of the games," the Sixers' second-year big man said yesterday during a conference call with reporters. "I think that's just from my aggressiveness, not being afraid to go after rebounds or screen somebody hard and strong.

"I think I can control it [during the season]. It just lets people know that I'm not going to just lay down and not be physical with anybody."

Smith averaged 15.6 points and 8.0 rebounds after last night's finale against the Toronto Raptors, an 87-85 win in which he had 12 points and 12 boards. He dropped in 24 of 27 free throws, a benefit of recent sessions he spent with teammates Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams working with shooting instructor Mark Price in Atlanta.

"It all has to do with confidence, just going out there and playing like I know how to play . . . not second-guessing, doing what feels right to me," Smith said. "It's not really preparation, it's a comfort level. I know what to expect. Last year, I had no idea what to expect. I had to go out there and play and just really lay it all out on the line."

Smith touched on several other subjects, including:

* The value of summer league. "Summer league has been good for our team," he said. "We got a lot accomplished. Me and [Young] and Marreese [Speights, the first-round draft choice] have all come together with each other, and we've been playing really hard as a team . . . We've done nothing but get better each day."

* The addition of power forward Elton Brand to the roster. "He's a very strong, well-known presence in the NBA and he obviously showed it [with] the Clippers. I'm thrilled that we have him on our team now. I think it makes us that much better; it adds one more piece to the puzzle. He's a very good player on offense, he's a great presence on defense, and he's going to be a leader on both [ends] of the court."

* Speights, who averaged 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds, including 15 and 11, respectively, last night. "He hasn't been tentative at all. He's playing really aggressively; he's really just playing really, really well."

A little quirkiness