No one is predicting stardom for Devean George, the Los Angeles Lakers' swingman by way of Augsburg College and Benilde-St. Margaret, but the only Division III player in the NBA has been earning his keep so far this season.

In the final year of his three-year rookie contract, George, heading into the Lakers game against the Timberwolves Saturday night, was averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20.0 minutes. That essentially is double what he did last season (3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 10.1 minutes), when there still were enough unanswered questions about George that the Lakers chose not to exercise a fourth-year option on his deal.

His shooting has dropped off lately (21 of 64 in the past nine games) but his minutes are steady, his grasp of the Lakers' triangle attack has improved and his defense is good enough to draw a fourth-quarter assignment against Orlando's Tracy McGrady in a game last month. Teammate Kobe Bryant is his biggest booster, frequently offering the Minneapolis native tips.

"I've been able to produce and do good things when I'm out there, and [Lakers coach Phil Jackson] is getting a little confident with me," George told reporters recently. "I feel that I deserve the time I've been getting."