Shared agent helps Johnson connect to, learn from Kobe

The education of Timberwolves rookie Wes Johnson continued Wednesday, when he found himself asked on occasions to defend NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant.

Last week, Johnson found himself benched for all of a game at Portland and much of a game against the Clippers in Los Angeles for defensive lapses.

On Monday against Houston, he responded with a 33-minute, 19-point, three-steal game in an uneven season he calls "learning day by day."

The process just might get accelerated this summer, when he hopes to be mentored by a guy named Kobe.

Johnson and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant share the same agent, Rob Pelinka. Last summer, the two players worked out together a few times, even though Bryant's summer training was abbreviated because of injury.

What did he learn from the game's most accomplished player?

"Triangle stuff, confidence, just my game," Johnson said. "He was telling me about the triangle and just helping me, trying to perfect the different parts of my game. You can always work on your skills, but if you have confidence, that'll take you over."