The whole reunion angle is out the window. That became co-opted during the preseason, when Darren Collison faced his former New Orleans Hornets team for the first time, however unofficial.

For the unofficial record, Collison had 16 points, five assists and seven turnovers as the Pacers won 101-98. Chris Paul had 12 points and eight assists.

That was, however, a long, long time ago.

Collison's journey has been more challenging then he originally expected. Rather than taking the city and NBA by storm in his first full season as a starter, he has struggled at times to adapt to the new coach, new system, new teammates, new style.

Through it all, however, he has kept that electric smile, that positive vibe, that indefatigable spirit. In the process, he has begun to feel more comfortable, more confident, more right.

Improving in important areas

"I think I'm improving," Collison said. "If you look at my last two or three games it's steady improvement and understanding my personnel. I didn't realize how tough it would be just being on a new team. There's a lot of different stuff you've got to get used to as far as the system and your players. I'm getting used to a lot of things right now.

"Hopefully at the end of the season I'll be a much better player. If I continue to do film sessions with the coaches and continue to talk to Jim and continue to just read my guys on my team, I'll be in much better position."

Because Collison averaged 18.8 points, 9.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds while filling in as the starter when Paul was injured last season, expectations for his first season with the Pacers might've been a bit unrealistic. His overall productivity (28.3 minutes, 13.2 points, 4.1 assists, 1.04 steals, 2.17 turnovers) has been solid and his assist-to-turnover ratio has been improving.

"Certainly in college and in the pros he hasn't played up-tempo, so he had to learn to play in that," said Coach Jim O'Brien. "Now he's learning to move within our passing game. At the offensive end, he has to continue attacking the basket but always having what we call a 'soft eye,' meaning that he sees everybody on the court.

"So when he gets the ball and he's driving on the fast break across center court, you'll see Nash or Deron Williams as examples, they will know who's behind them and the teammates left and right. You swivel your head left and right as you bring the ball across halfcourt to make sure that you see trailing open 3-point shooters. He needs to develop the eye so he can see the whole court and know where everybody is at all times."

First official matchup with former mentor

Tonight will represent his first official matchup against Paul. It would be easy to be drawn into an individual duel but Collison must reign in his emotions and run his team.

"This game will be fun but when we played them in the preseason it kind of took all of that out a little bit," Collison said. "But it's still a ballgame we need to win.

"(Paul) He helped me out with a lot of different things. You can look at it so many different ways. At times he was like a big brother to me while I was in New Orleans. And he was like a coach. He helped me out and that was the biggest thing."

It is sometimes difficult to remember Collison is in just his second NBA season. For any point guard, it takes time to emerge as a consistently productive player. For a young point guard in an entirely new situation – with the added pressure of high expectations – the clock seems to tick more loudly.

Make no mistake. Collison's time is coming.