MINNEAPOLIS -- This shouldn't come as a surprise, but Kings point guard Jason Williams loves magic acts.

The rookie, who practices some sleight of hand on the floor, has a number of card tricks and a knack for making things disappear off the court as well.

But lately, one obstacle hasn't gone away with a mere wave of Williams' hand.

It's called "The Wall," that imaginary point of the NBA season that seems to smack virtually every first-year player right between the eyes, paralyzing his legs and taking a foot off his jump shot.

Like most of those who have come before him and those who will follow, Williams doesn't know when "The Wall" hit or whether it has gone.

Though opponents certainly have adjusted to his playing style, Williams' poor shooting of late -- he has made only 30 of 106 field-goal attempts (28.3 percent) over his past nine games entering tonight's contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves -- goes beyond that.

Through 32 games, Williams has averaged 35.3 minutes, both considerable numbers for someone who played less than two seasons of college ball. He played only 28 games at Marshall and 20 at Florida before being thrown off the team for testing positive for marijuana.

"All these (professional) games, I've never done this before," Williams said. "It's kind of caught me by surprise. Plus, I've never played this many so quickly. That East Coast trip we had took a lot out of me. I learned a lot, though. I learned that I had to get my rest. I really didn't do it a lot on that trip, and I felt it.

"I know I felt tired and I know I looked tired. I learned more about getting my rest than about eating right. I don't really concern myself too much with that."

Kings vice president Geoff Petrie said it's common for a rookie to be plagued by fatigue, even more so in this 50-game, 13-week season.

"He's had an incredible entry into the season," Petrie said. "The way he came out to play and the way we played, the pace of the games and the physical demand that takes on everybody, especially a rookie, there really is no way to comprehend that. It's something you have to experience."

Williams began the season weighing 187 pounds and dropped to nearly 170 before vitamin supplements and nutritional drinks got him back to par.

"I was losing weight before I knew it," he said, "but I'm back up there now."

The untold amount of time Williams has spent with the national media also has taken a toll.

His story has been told by Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, SLAM Magazine, The Sporting News, ESPN, TNT, NBC, CNN and virtually every major newspaper in the country. HBO's "Real Sports" is planning a segment on him in late April. People and Time Magazine have plans to do articles.

"The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn" wanted him to fly to Los Angeles this week during its premiere week, but his appearance on that show will have to wait until after the season. Ditto for ESPN's "Up Close." And that's not to mention the smaller TV, radio and newspaper outlets that want to talk to him.

More exposure is on the way. He recently agreed in principle to a deal with Nike that will pay more than $4 million over the next 41/2 years. Williams not only will represent the company by wearing its shoes but likely will model athletic wear as it attempts to expand its line of apparel, according to his agent, Bill Pollak.

Given the Kings' league-high 19 road games, Williams' mug has been plastered all over the TV highlights. Yet somehow he is unchanged.

This has all come as a surprise to the Belle, W.Va., native. In fact, he told a reporter from the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail before the season that he knew he wasn't going to get a lot of attention and that was fine with him.

"I never expected this, you know," Williams said of the media hordes that have latched onto him. "We've got C-Webb (Chris Webber) and Vlade (Divac) and Corliss (Williamson), all these veterans around here. I'm just a rookie. But like I've told you before, it's my teammates that deserve all the attention that has come to me."

In just two months, Williams has become a player who not only is cheered at home but on the road. There aren't many of those around. But there aren't many players who take the breath out of a crowd with 26-foot jumpers, either.

Unfortunately for coach Rick Adelman, when those bombs draw nothing but air, they take his breath away, too. Poor shot selection and decision-making are characteristics of inexperienced rookies. It's part of the learning process.

Just as Williams had to learn Tuesday, when he was one of four starters Adelman benched for the start of the second half in a comeback victory over Utah.

"I was mad when the coach sat us," said Williams, "but I didn't have a right to be mad. I wasn't helping the team. The only person I had reason to be mad at was myself."

Yet while he sat on the bench, he was able to learn. He watched Utah's point guard extraordinaire, John Stockton, commit two turnovers in overtime.

"He usually makes such good decisions," Williams said of Stockton. "He made a couple of bad ones, and I was so surprised. But it just goes to show that everybody struggles."

Williams puts his struggles aside in part by channel-surfing through his DirecTV package of NBA games. He also spends time with his girlfriend, Denika, or plays with his Labrador retriever puppy, Sweet Pea, named after New York City playground legend and former Kings swingman Lloyd Daniels.

Or he fools around with his magic tricks.

"Specials about magic that come on TV ... I love looking at that stuff," Williams said. "I've always wanted to go and see David Copperfield. I'd give almost anything to do that."

Given the way Williams has dazzled the basketball world so far, don't be shocked if Copperfield materializes inside an NBA arena to catch his act.