Beno Udrih is getting it done.

As a starter this season, Udrih is averaging 14.8 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the free throw line. He is dishing out 5.3 assists, corralling 3.6 rebounds and snatching 1.1 steals per game. In addition, he has set or matched his career-high in points (27) and assists (10) this season.

Much like this season has panned out, showing what he can do in lieu of another player's injury, Udrih's opportunity to step up for his first professional team in Slovenia panned out. That injury, however, hit a little closer to home, literally and figuratively.

"Basically on the first team, when I was practicing, I’d be the third point guard but when [my older brother Samo] got hurt, I was the second point guard and got a lot of minutes," Udrih recalled. "His bad luck was my good luck. That helped me to grow as a player."

Samo's injury likely quickened Beno's maturity on the hardwood, but certainly can't be credited for where Beno is today. That would be hard work, something he learned from his father, Silvo.

"I know what I’ve achieved in my life, but my parents, especially my dad, taught me — because he was playing basketball too and knew how to become better and better every day — to set goals. Then when I reach it, I set another one."

While fans can see the continually-growing product of Udrih's hard work on a nightly basis, it all started with a humble beginning.

As a 15-to-16 year-old teenager, Udrih practiced for more than seven and a half hours per day five days a week spread across three different teams. He didn't have time to rest or watch “Saved by the Bell” or “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” on weekends either, because he had three games between Saturday and Sunday. Around that age he also teamed with a familiar Lakers' rival swingman, Sasha Vujacic, on one of those teams.

"We’re friends, but we’re not in touch as much because we just kind of have busy schedules," Udrih said before the Lakers-Kings game. "It just slips through. Games are going by so fast that sometimes you have time to call and sometimes you don’t."

While they don't have time to hang out, Vujacic had the time to reflect on Udrih's great play this season.

"I’m really happy for him," Vujacic said, while crediting the Slovenian coaches and the system they implement for Slovenia's ability to produce six current NBA players. "In San Antonio he didn’t have a lot of minutes, but now in Sacramento he’s getting really good with the opportunity he has and he’s taking advantage of it. He really deserves everything he’s doing."

Thought he plays with a calm demeanor, Udrih too has a moment of pause to be grateful for how his 2007-08 season has come along.

"It’s unbelievable how much fun I’m having here playing, trying to get better every day and trying to help the team win," Udrih said still smiling.

The smile didn't last, however. Maybe it's a "mentality thing" as Udrih would call it. Or maybe it's something else.

“I think it’s from my parents and the way they raised me," Udrih said as media availability drew to a close before the game just 45 minutes away. "Something always bothers me. So I just try to keep working hard, practice and try to be ready. A lot of players become good and then stop working hard, so I’m just trying to keep working and getting better.”

Beno on...
Samo - “He was a good player. He’s still a pretty good player. He’s playing in the first division in Spain. He just had a little more bad luck than I had because when he was getting older, he had a couple problems with injuries. He broke bones on his left foot and then he fractured another one on the on the right foot.”

Goal-Setting - “[I set realistic goals because] when you put too much pressure on yourself with too many high goals and expectations, you can get really disappointed. Then, you’re just going down the road instead of up.”

Kevin Martin on...
Beno - “He’s a floor leader and that’s one thing you need from your point guard. He works hard and he just wants the best for his team. He’s not about himself, so I think it’s a good fit for Beno and a good fit for us to have him at the point guard position.”

Friendship - “We’re tight. I better get tight with him, he’s my point guard. [Laughs] We have a great relationship. He’s always talking to me and seeing where I want the ball on spots on the floor. Any shooting guard is going to respect that. It’s a good relationship.”

Character - “He’s funny, he’s very funny. He’s just Beno. He’s just a normal guy.”

Style - “I like his style. I think his style is cool.”

Spencer Hawes on...
Beno - “He’s unique in that he has the ability on some nights to be a scorer and other nights to be a distributor. He has the ability to be both of those and I think that’s a unique combination that makes him that much more valuable.”

European Roots - “I think their skill sets are more advanced than ours. I think they have more emphasis on the fundamentals. You rarely see a Euro who can’t shoot. Most of them can shoot, pass, dribble and do all that kind of stuff. I think the emphasis they had growing up was different than ours."

Confidence - “We know when the ball is in his hands something good is going to happen.”

Southpaw - “Any position lefties have the advantage. That’s what I’ve been told since I was a little kid. [As a defender] it’s like you know what’s coming and you still can’t stop them for whatever reason. It’s just unorthodox for people.”

Whatever it is that drives him, it's pretty clear Kings fans love what they've seen from the new point guard.