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At the All-Star break, Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Wesley Johnson is 56 games into his NBA career. While his team is currently only 13-43, Johnson has enjoyed every moment, both the good and the bad. Averaging 8.8 points, along with 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists, Johnson also knows he has plenty of room to improve.

"I've been coming out here, playing and having fun," Johnson told HOOPSWORLD. "As far as the positive you can say, it's been that we've won the games that we've won. I'm really coming out here and learning. The negatives would have to be all the losses. I mean, my shooting percentage has been inconsistent, so I'll say that as far as individually. I'm just really trying to stay consistent and stay positive."

Johnson's season may not be going as expected of a number four pick in the draft, but his team does see the progress he has made already.

"When he first came in, he was kind of watching and seeing what was going on and now I think he's much more aggressive," said Assistant Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who works closely with Johnson. "He's looking for his shot and he has one of the purest shots on our team when he gets an opportunity to line it up. The matchups every night for him at that position, he's playing the best players in the world. You can go from team to team and at that two or three spot, it's one of the best players on the planet. Just being able to understand player's strengths and weaknesses and the ability to pick up on things like that defensively are probably the two biggest things I've seen him improve on."

After an adequate start shooting the ball in his NBA career, in recent games his shooting percentage dropped significantly. In the final three games—all home—before the All-Star break, Johnson combined for a grand total of 2 of 18 from the field.

"It really goes to mental confidence," said Johnson. "Your shot has been going and then all of a sudden you see it go out a couple times. Then you start second-guessing yourself, pulling back on it or shooting too hard, so it's really all about confidence. That's why I really am getting in the gym before and after practice, shooting a lot more and trying to get my rhythm back. I just lost my rhythm for a little while."

Is there truth to the presence of the "rookie wall?"

"You see it over and over again and guys handle it different ways, but the length and pace of our schedule is a shock to the body and a shock to your mind," said Bickerstaff. "How you handle it, how you come out of it, the preparation, the way you treat your body depends on the individual, but there is some validity to the rookie wall. For most guys, it's more physical than it is mental because they're exhausted. In college, you play two games a week and that's it. Here you play four games in five nights, so there is something to it. He has the ability to bounce back, he will bounce back and I think the second half of the season for him is going to be better than the first."

If Johnson has, in fact, hit that proverbial rookie wall, he is handling it well. It is quite rare to see the rookie without a smile on his face and he is smart enough to learn what things he can and cannot do.

"It's really just staying fit," said Johnson. "I mean, as far as physically, you have to take care of your body throughout the season. If you don't, you're going to get beat up. All of the nights that you travel that takes a toll, so you have to eat right. I was really just eating chicken fingers and stuff and cake all the time, so I really had to cut back on that. I'm really trying to stay fit."