For all he's done to impress in the first two months of his pro career, and he's done plenty, Hawks rookie Al Horford has not delivered the one thing everyone was sure he would by now.

Horford has not had that one shining "rookie" moment.

Horford has not done something in practice or a game that made the veterans feel at ease knowing that they'd made the same mistake during their first years.

Truth be told, Horford has not faced an opponent, a moment or a tense situation that left him rattled.

And that, as much anything else about the Hawks' steady center, has been the most startling part of watching Horford manage the transition from college All-American to NBA rookie.

"I stopped thinking about him like a rookie two or three days into training camp and realized we're not going to get this one to crack," fourth-year Hawks forward Josh Smith said of Horford, whom he insists will battle Seattle's Kevin Durant to the final day of the regular season for rookie of the year honors. "Have you watched this man do work? He's a grown man. A grown man."

Horford is certainly playing like one. He's the leading rebounder (9.7), fifth-leading scorer (8.8) and second-leading shot blocker (1.1) for the Hawks, who play at Washington tonight with a chance to move two games above .500 with a win.

Among NBA rookies, Horford ranks in the top five in every statistical category. He's grabbed 15 or more rebounds three times and has 13 double-digit rebounding efforts in the Hawks' 25 games.

And he's done it all while playing out of position; even Horford, at 6-feet-10, 245 pounds, admits he's a power forward and not a center.

"I did have some questions about myself and if I could play [center] at this level," said Horford, a starter in 20 of the 24 games he's played in and whose only real hiccup so far came last week when he was suspended a game for a flagrant foul on Toronto's T.J. Ford. "So far I feel pretty good about it. My teammates have really helped me out. They've been there to pick me up in the places where I might be lacking.

"I think the hardest thing has been playing against great players every night. It's not so much about how much bigger they are, but each player you're looking at them like, 'Dang, he's an All-Star' and it keeps going down the line every night. But you want to play against those types of players. At the end of the day, I am a little out of position, but I feel like I can hold my own."

Horford's game has few glaring weaknesses, which is why every team in the draft lottery coveted him. The Hawks took him at No. 3.

His free throw shooting (.636) has been troublesome. He missed a crucial free throw late in Monday's win over Utah. So no one was surprised to see him the next day, before and after practice, working on his free throw shooting.

When he went to the line with 51.9 seconds to play in overtime against Miami Wednesday and the Hawks clinging to a 112-111 lead, he drilled both shots with ease.

"This guy puts in the work," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "From the day we brought him in here he's done everything we've asked him to do. And he's been everything we thought he would be and more. He's still got a long way to go in our league. He's only played [24] games. ... Again, he's doing everything you expect him to do."

Horford's not the first to make a splash for the Hawks. Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams and Shelden Williams all had their moments as rookies. But none of them was as consistently productive as quickly as Horford.

"He's made a seamless transition," Childress said. "It's like he got dropped in here and the machine just got stronger. There was no waiting period for him to get used to everybody or anything. As soon as he got on the floor with us it was positives all the way around."

Some of that can be attributed to the fact that the Hawks are as stable now as they have been at any time in the past three years. Roles are largely defined and the influx of new faces is relatively light; only Horford and fellow rookie lottery pick Acie Law IV were added since last season.

"But most of it," Childress said, "is him. He's good, man. He does what he does. He's not going out there trying to save the world. He's out there eating the glass and doing his thing offensively, and just doing the little things it takes to help us win games."

ROOKIE WATCH

Everyone expected Seattle's Kevin Durant and Al Horford to battle for NBA rookie of the year. But they're not the only rookies of note so far:

TOP THREE ROOKIE SURPRISES

> Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies: The 27-year-old Spaniard is the second-leading rookie scorer (10.8) behind Durant.

> Daequan Cook, Heat: A reserve at Ohio State, Cook is having a bigger impact (9.3 ppg) than former Buckeyes teammate Mike Conley Jr.

> Jamario Moon, Raptors: Jamario who? The 27-year-old minor leagues journeyman is entrenched in the Raptors' starting lineup.

TOP THREE ROOKIE DISAPPOINTMENTS

> Luis Scola, Rockets: Import from Argentina was supposed to be the answer at power forward but hasn't delivered.

> Corey Brewer, Timberwolves: His awful .297 shooting percentage overshadows anything he has done otherwise.

> Al Thornton, Clippers: More (6.2 points) was expected from the player tabbed by some to be the most NBA-ready of the lottery picks.

HAWKS AT WIZARDS * 7 P.M. TODAY * SPORTSOUTH * 790 AM