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Illini's Paul blessed with talent, but still has much to learn

Here's the Brandon Paul conundrum - and Bruce Weber's dilemma when it comes to Illinois' gifted freshman guard: Paul's talents make him a highlight reel waiting to happen, but the 2009 Warren Township graduate isn't waiting for it to happen.

Weber knows he needs Paul for the Illini to make a move - starting with today's game at Northwestern (7 p.m., BTN) - but he can't reward Paul with starter's minutes until he stops sabotaging his long-term upside with his youthful downside.

Paul averages 1 shot attempt every 2.4 minutes he plays, which makes him the most frequent shooter in Illinois' rotation. That's not always a bad thing.

When the Illini played Purdue on Tuesday night, Paul drove to the hoop and scored within his first 15 seconds on the floor.

But after shooting 2 of 7 during his 12 first-half minutes - missing his final 5 shots that gradually increased in difficulty - Weber played Paul just three minutes after the half.

Jeff Jordan, on the other hand, played seven second-half minutes off the bench and didn't put anything on the stat sheet except a missed 15-footer from the baseline.

"Every time you touch it, you don't have to make a play," Weber said. "Dominique (Keller) does the same thing. It's that fine line of learning the game. When to go. When not to. When you're open.

"D.J. (Richardson) has struggled at times, too, with what's a good shot and what is not a good shot. That's the biggest thing with Brandon.

"But Brandon gives us so many other things that we can use - from passing to defense to a chance to get to the boards and get an offensive rebound - but he's got to slow down. Think the game. Learn the game. So that he can make some strides and then we can make some strides."

If Paul learned to control his shot-taking and turnover-making tendencies, then Weber could put his overall floor game to use.

Despite ranking a distant fifth on the team in minutes, Paul ranks second on the "Matto" chart that rewards players with points for taking charges, deflecting passes, blocks, steals and other defensive positives.

During a sterling stretch early in the Purdue game, Paul played help-side defense and knocked the ball away from center JaJuan Johnson for a steal.

Then he raced upcourt, took a pass from Demetri McCamey and hit a 3-pointer. On Purdue's next possession, he soared high for a rebound. On Purdue's possession after that, he played more helping defense and drew a charge from Kelsey Barlow that wasn't called. But then came the rapid-fire misses and the bench time and the Illini's first home loss of the year.

Paul visited Weber's office Wednesday - the players' NCAA-mandated day off - to learn what he needs to do.

"Pull-up jumpers instead of double-pump layups," Weber told him. "Let the game come. You don't have to do too much."

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