He's thriving at it, too. Lopez was known as a great shooter in Spain, and his stroke has returned, at least in practice. In one workout last week, Lopez twice hit 11 of 12 three-point shots while on the move. And in a free-throw drill in which shots that hit the rim counted as misses, Lopez made 29 of 30, including 18 nothing-but-net.

"He's working superbly," said Chiesa. "I'm amazed at how fast he is with the ball, even after the surgery. This kid, if he was a high-school kid, would have started at Duke or Kentucky. He was the starting point guard on his national team."