"If Antawn Jamison can maintain this level of production, he's going to leave coach Byron Scott with some difficult decisions in the near future.

Jamison has averaged 16 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games since returning from a swollen left knee. He has drastically improved his shooting, too, going 5-for-12 on 3-pointers and shooting 53 percent (20-for-38) overall in the three games prior to Tuesday night's against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Scott will leave Jamison on the bench for now, but didn't rule out the idea of eventually getting him into the starting lineup — which is where Jamison has wanted to be all along.

''He's playing so well, I don't know if I can keep him in that role,'' Scott said.

There are a few factors to consider, namely Jamison's troublesome left knee that bothered him last season and has already flared up twice this season. By bringing him off the bench, Scott can better monitor his minutes and keep him around 25 a night.

Scott also doesn't want to disrupt the flow of the reserves, who entered Tuesday second in the league in scoring (43 points per game). Jamison and Daniel Gibson (13.8 ppg) are big reasons for that.

Lastly, Scott has to consider J.J. Hickson's development. Hickson isn't really evolving yet into the type of rebounder Scott is seeking. It's a great area of need on this team behind Anderson Varejao, and Jamison just happens to be the team's next-best rebounder.

Hickson and Scott clearly aren't seeing eye to eye on the issue, either. When Varejao was out of the lineup Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, Hickson grabbed just two rebounds.

He defended it by saying he was boxing out and doing everything right, the ball just wasn't bouncing his way. After watching the film, Scott disagreed.

''Not from what I saw on the tape, not unless we got a different copy,'' Scott said. ''I didn't really see the boxing out. He'd kind of be there and he's looking and watching the ball. As we always say, 'Don't watch the birds fly.' You have to find a body and hit him first, then go get the ball.

''J.J. is like a lot of young 22-year-olds who think their athleticism is going to get it all done. But technique is very important when it comes to blocking out. I think he's going to get to the point where he understands that a lot better.''"