"It’s going to be a process with him. It’s not an easy thing to do; you have to learn from experience. He’s only going to learn the more he gets out on the floor and goes through those situations."

Watching Brooks over the summer, one thing that jumps out at you right away is his much-improved ability to finish at the rim. Though he's not at the Master's level demonstrated on a nightly basis by someone like Tony Parker, Brooks has clearly made a concerted effort to turn himself into a force when driving the lane. These days, his frenzied forays to the hoop result in buckets more often than not, even when confronted by giants who force him to shoot from seemingly impossible angles.

The scary thing (for opponents, at least): He still has room for improvement.

"If he does anything that he needs to correct it’s that sometimes he takes off from the floor before he should," Adelman says. "He’s got to get one more dribble, get to the basket and make decisions there. But, again, that’s experience. Tony wasn’t great at it when he started but he developed it. I think Aaron will do that, too."

"You got to, being that I’m a short guy," says Brooks. "That’s the difference that sets Tony Parker apart from a lot of people is that – even at his size – with his quickness he can still finish in there with the tall guys.

"But also, when you penetrate it opens up your teammates and I think it’s been a lot easier because I’ve got so many weapons out there now. With Artest and Tracy, when I penetrate I don’t really have to worry about somebody helping off of those guys because that’d be pretty stupid."

The kid is catching on. And if he continues progressing, bullet-time won't merely be the way he views the game, it will also be the term opponents use to describe him - right as he blows by them on the way to the hoop.