Watson eager to showcase shooting in three-point contest

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CHARLOTTE -- When one thinks of the best pure shooter on the Bulls, Kyle Korver is the name that usually first comes to mind. However, this season the designated marksman has competition for the title of the most automatic stroke on the team: C.J. Watson.

Watson, who has firmly established himself as one the leagues upper-echelon backup point guards this season, is shooting 46.6 percent from long range, in addition to solid 9.9 points per game and 4.2 assists per game averages, as well as battling through injuries in a manner that have elicited compliments from normally stoic Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who often refers to him as a tough little guy. The soft-spoken Las Vegas native -- while confident on the court, he normally isnt very boastful in interviews -- wants to join teammates Derrick Rose and Luol Deng at the NBAs All-Star weekend in Orlando later this month by showcasing his accuracy from deep in the leagues annual three-point contest.

If I get selected it would be a great honor, he told CSNChicago.com prior to the Bulls Friday-morning shootaround at Time Warner Cable Arena. I think I can do well in it and maybe even win it if I had the opportunity.

Watsons quick, effortless shooting release make him well-suited for the competition, as he doesnt need much time to fire off shots and doesnt expend a lot of energy elevating, something key in the event, which requires speed and stamina. Additionally, with the exception of a rare off night this season Wednesday in New Orleans, Watsons been extremely hot from outside of late.

But to hear him tell it, simply participating in the often-overshadowed event would be a thrill and would be the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

Just growing up, watching it when I was a little kid and still watching it now, being a fan of it, he said. I always wanted to be in something like that on a big stage.

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