Every made bucket - and there were plenty, for 29 points in all - served as a reminder that Green, who started all 74 games last season, is still the team's reigning shooting guard.

Yesterday, coach Maurice Cheeks closed training camp at Penn State a day early. Cheeks called camp "taxing" and said he wanted to give his players a day off.

The Sixers will practice again tomorrow at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

After his team left the Bryce Jordan Center practice court for the last time, Cheeks spoke of Green's effort.

"While Willie is not a knockdown shooter, he has the ability to score points . . . put the ball on the floor, get to the rim," Cheeks said. "And the last few days, he's been making a ton of shots."

"For me, it's making sure I step up to the challenge," Green said. "It's making sure when my number is called, I can go out there and do the things I'm capable of doing."

Last season, Green averaged 12.4 points per game but shot 28.5 percent from the three-point line. The Sixers, at 31.7 percent, finished as the NBA's worst three-point-shooting team.

Then this summer happened: Brand signed a blockbuster deal, followed by four more free-agent signings.

While summer melted into fall, the Sixers molded into a new team, one focused on the post play of Brand. That change meant the team needed shooters.

"Everybody went back to the drawing board after we got Elton," guard Lou Williams said. "But, for [Willie] to go get back in the gym and start working on his game because we got a better player, that shows growth as a professional and as a basketball player."

Green is in battle for playing time with two other guards: Kareem Rush and Royal Ivey. Cheeks said wing Andre Iguodala and point guard Andre Miller have already earned their minutes, and Williams seems to have found his minutes as a backup combo guard.

How will Green get himself on the court?

"It's finding what the team needs and being able to go out there and do it. . . . That's what I did this off-season," Green said. "Whether it's hitting threes or locking some guys up, that's what makes me a better teammate."

Notes. Center Samuel Dalembert did not practice because of a left-shoulder strain. He is listed as day-to-day but said he would be back on the court tomorrow. . . . Cheeks said he would not try to spread minutes across his 12-deep roster, but rather he would lock himself into a rotation once he evaluated the upcoming preseason games. . . . Cheeks said he liked Ivey's play, then likened the player to himself.