Cleveland Cavaliers assistant John Kuester was on a roll Monday, thinking up new ways to praise rookie J.J. Hickson.

“We're talking about an N.C. State guy, and I'm still saying nice things,” former Tar Heel Kuester joked. “He's that great a kid.”

And seemingly that good a prospect. Hickson looked spectacular during a 97-94 summer-league loss to the New York Knicks, with 26 points and nine rebounds.

He made 11 of 15 shots from the field and generated seven trips to the foul line. If that's indicative of his scoring at the next level, he'll be a steal by the Cavaliers with the 18th overall pick.

Hickson wasn't the least surprised by his quick impact.

“I wouldn't have come out if I didn't think I was ready, so nothing has really surprised me,” he said. “There are some things I need to improve, but that's all a progression.”

Those flaws, Kuester detailed, are conditioning and defense, but the Cavaliers can wait for that. Hickson is a low-post, back-to-the-basket scorer, and those are rare these days with every 6-foot-10 forward seemingly living to take 20-foot jump shots.

Hickson did most of his scoring off bank shots, baby hooks and put-backs (he had seven offensive rebounds). The Cavaliers knew he had moves, but they were surprised just how explosive he was heading to the rim.

He didn't look that way in a workout in Cleveland, but there was an explanation.

“He flew in on a red-eye (an overnight flight) after working out in Denver and the poor guy didn't have his legs,” Kuester said.

“To the credit of our scouts and (general manager) Danny Ferry, they already knew what they wanted. They targeted him right from the get-go and you saw some of the things that make him special today.”

While the moves were home-grown – Hickson had the basics of low-post scoring in high school – he found it invaluable that N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe spent a decade in the NBA.

“Everything he said was coming from the NBA perspective already,” Hickson said. “You wouldn't believe all the things I knew just from being around him that season.”