By InsideHoops.com

Larry Hughes, a "combo guard" as he likes to be called, mostly plays the point guard spot on the Washington Wizards. InsideHoops.com met up with Hughes and discussed some things.

Question: What's the biggest thing you've learned so far in the league

Larry Hughes: Take your time. Be patient. Patience wins games. The ability to take over, be patient. Allow things to happen naturally. That's really the main thing. Not the scoring or the passing but just the basics.

Question: Talk about your experience playing with Allen Iverson in Philadelphia

Larry Hughes: Coming in on that team, it was kind of looked at we were kind of like the same guy, but actually we really weren't. We were two different personalities, and actually we got along really well. I like to score, he likes to score. I think I was just impatient waiting my turn. I wanted to play right away. I proved that I could score in this league, when I went to Golden State, but, in the right situation, to be able to win games should be the main goal.

Question: What are your summer workouts?

Larry Hughes: Taking a month off. I hired a shooting coach, Chip England, down in Orlando. I spent a lot of time in Florida. Getting a lot of shots up. Watching tape, changed my shot a little bit. Working out with some weights. Basic, managed my body to get ready for training camp.

InsideHoops.com: Do you feel like a point guard now, or should we call you a combo guard?

Larry Hughes: Combo. Just call me a combo guard. Just call me a guy that can score, pass and rebound. And play solid defense on the perimeter, that allows my team to win. That allows us to have a second threat, a third threat out there at all times. Being able to slide to either position is big for us.

InsideHoops.com: Yeah, to me you were always a shooting guard who also had the ability to fill the point duties...

Larry Hughes: I can do that. I think that just comes natural. I kind of settled last year with trying to set guys up, lost a little bit of my aggressiveness, that hurt my game. So I told myself this year... that I would still be aggressive, and still make plays, but also still score the ball. And that's what I've been doing the last couple months.

InsideHoops.com: And when you're practicing, is there any one particular coach or player that helps you work on your game the most, as far as improving something you want to improve...

Larry Hughes: Well this summer I came in early. I came in early and worked with coach Brian James, four or five days a week, got in there for a couple hours just shooting the ball. And then later on in the year the other coaches came in, Larry Drew came in - was a great shooting in this league - it's everybody. I'm just learning. I'm 23, I'll be 24 at the end of the month. But I've brought my game to where I can build on it.

InsideHoops.com: Who would you say is the best shooting guard in the league right now?

Larry Hughes: Uh, the best shooting guard... it's tough... I'll go with my man A.I. (Allen Iverson). When the lights are on, you want him on the court. So he's probably the best right now.

InsideHoops.com: One thing about Iverson, his shooting percentage may be lower than a lot of other guys, yet while that usually hurts a team pretty badly, Iverson helps the team even when his shot is off...

Larry Hughes: That's their M.O. That's how they get it done, with him taking a lot of shots. If he doesn't take those shots, they have no chance. Whether they go in or not. He has to be aggressive at all times and get things moving. It's not a lot of guys who can get up 30 shots, that's a feat all in itself. I know he wants to shoot a higher percentage, and that's one of my goals, is to be able to shoot a higher percentage this year.


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