Last June, on the night of the 2000 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics were thinking big. Make that, big, long, young and promising. They were lusting after Jermaine O'Neal and they thought they had enough to bring him East.

O'Neal was still in Portland, wasting away on the Trail Blazers' deep bench, and wanting a change of scenery. Boston coach Rick Pitino envisioned his long-needed intimidator inside, blocking shots, changing minds. He envisioned a long-term commitment. He offered Portland three first-round picks and Tony Battie for O'Neal. The Blazers said "no thanks" and, two months later, sent O'Neal (and the retiring Joe Kleine) to Indiana for Dale Davis.

	Now that he's getting a chance, O'Neal is flying high for Indy.

The undeniably gifted, but equally unrefined O'Neal is making his first serious loop around the NBA in this, his fifth season. He is the centerpiece around the rebuilding Indiana Pacers, starting in the pivot for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who were thought to be good enough that they are one of four teams competing on Christmas Day.

No one expected Tim Duncan right out of the box, least of all the Pacers. O'Neal is one of several young pups on the team who is getting what teammate Reggie Miller calls "a trial by fire." The 6-11, 22-year-old O'Neal has become a fixture in the Indiana starting rotation and is averaging more than 30 minutes a game, a 150 percent increase over last season. He's among the league leaders in blocked shots, double-doubles, rebounds and field goal percentage.

"It feels great to finally get some time," O'Neal said. "People talk about me like a rookie, and I guess, with all the time I'm getting, you could see it that way. I sort of look at it as my four years in Portland were like college."

	“	He saw a lot of things in Portland, but this is, by far, the most extensive time he's been on the court. He's cramming for an exam right now. We're throwing a lot of stuff at him and we're expecting a lot from him. And for the most part, he's responding. He's mature enough to understand that we need him and the only way for us to be successful is to go through him.”
		— Reggie Miller on O'Neal

O'Neal bypassed college, of course, and went straight from Eau Claire High School in Columbia, S.C., to the NBA. He is one of three Pacers who took the shortcut route to the NBA, along with Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender. Not surprisingly, the trio has bonded off the court; O'Neal had Thanksgiving dinner at Bender's home and the three are road companions as well.

O'Neal was in the same draft class as Kobe Bryant, who went 13th, and Red McDavid, the fellow South Carolinian who went nowhere. The Blazers took O'Neal with the 17th pick and then rarely used him for four seasons. (They did, however, pay him very well, as is their wont.)

While O'Neal would show flashes of athleticism and potential, they were too few and too removed to warrant a steady, meaningful role in Portland. He got what he wanted in Indiana: a starting position, responsibility, pressure and a chance to be a difference maker. As Isiah Thomas, his coach, warned recently, "just wait until he's been around the league a couple times. Then, watch out."

It may take that long for everyone -- his teammates, the officials, the opponents -- to get accustomed to his face. And his facials. He could go for short bursts in Portland, knowing he would soon be back on the bench. This is a far different situation.

"I think he's learning his way," Miller said. "You want to put him out there and test him. But you don't want to overload him as well. Granted, he did come out of high school, this is his fifth year. He saw a lot of things in Portland, but this is, by far, the most extensive time he's been on the court. He's cramming for an exam right now. We're throwing a lot of stuff at him and we're expecting a lot from him. And for the most part, he's responding. He's mature enough to understand that we need him and the only way for us to be successful is to go through him."

There have been nights when all the hoopla seemed almost understated. He had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in an overtime loss at Minnesota. He had 9 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in a close win over the Hornets. But there also have been those nights which also reminded you why the Blazers never relied on him for significant stuff. The Pacers expect those kind of nights to be fewer and fewer as the season progresses. It's a learning curve for them, too. They have a new coaching staff.

"Sometimes," says Thomas, "I sit there and say to myself, 'did he really do that?' Then I go back and watch it on tape and say, 'yeah, that's what he did.' You have a tendency to say, 'well, that was that.' And then you see it again the next night and the next night and the next night.

"I think what's happened, the guys see what he's doing, but I don't know if they believe what he's doing," Thomas continues. "So there's a tendency not to ride him the way we should ride him. If he was Rik Smits right now, he would receive a lot more touches and a lot more respect in the post than he's been getting thus far. But he has to earn his way and he has to earn the trust of the others. We need to keep pounding the ball into him."

O'Neal may get the ball, but he is no better than the fourth offensive option behind Jalen Rose, Miller and Travis Best. He does get to the free-throw line, where he's only marginally better than his more infamous Laker namesake. But it's at the defensive end where O'Neal's enviable skills are on display, mostly as a shot-blocker, intimidator and rebounder. The now-retired Smits, five inches taller, did little of that.

O'Neal may technically be a power forward in the NBA's official labeling service, but he plays a center in Indianapolis and he'd play one just about anywhere else in the East as well. When he was acquired, Smits had yet to retire and O'Neal was seen as a combo man at center and power forward, someone who eventually would replace Smits. That day merely came sooner rather than later.

Peter May, who covers the NBA for the Boston Globe, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.