BOSTON – Nets’ pick Evan Eschmeyer will be a player in the NBA. Larry Bird said so. That’s good enough for us.

“Eschmeyer’s a big guy that works really hard. He’ll be in our league, there’s no question about that. I was dumbfounded that he didn’t go higher,” Bird said of the Nets’ second-round pick. “He has a work ethic and an ability to move around the basket, so there’s no question he’ll be in our league somewhere.”

This year, he’ll likely be on the Nets’ bench as an 11th man or so as he watches and learns the game. In the cram-course Pro Summer League here, where the Knicks and Nets played last night, Eschmeyer shows each outing there are decided pluses but, like any rookie, that he still has a long way to go.

Case in point: Friday’s game, when Eschmeyer had 10 rebounds. Late in the game, Eschmeyer had the ball low on the left side. The double team was ready to arrive the moment he made a move. The 6-11 center saw Howard Brown way over on the right side, up top. So he took the ball and fired a pass.

Right into the second row.

“He should not give up. He should attack. He was looking for pass first there,” Don Casey assessed. “He’s handling double teams OK, but the one he threw out of bounds, that was other people not knowing where to go. And he’ll see that. People would say, ‘Why would Cleveland double team Eric Montross?’ when we had him in Boston. Because he would do what you saw and throw the thing all other the place.”

All part of the rookie learning process.

“That’s what this [league] is for, to learn and progress,” Eschmeyer, the 34th pick, said. “I just want to learn as much as I can in a short time. I’m a rookie. It’s a whole new defense for me, it’s a whole new offensive scheme. I just want to pick up as much as I can and try to get a head start going into fall camp. I’ve been drafted and I know I have a spot in fall camp and I just have to make sure I know as much as I can going in.

“I rebounded pretty well [Friday]. I was happy with that. I know I have to keep working on all parts of my game and sometimes I’m not getting enough shots up. I’ve got to get more shots up.”

And get them up better. With an often mechanical motion to his shot, “They always seem to get a piece of the ball, so we need to get him a strong leg lift,” Casey assessed.

So Eschmeyer will continue to work and learn. Even at this level, he has found a quicker game, a more instinctive game. No longer can he receive the ball, then simply and methodically pound his way inside. He has averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.

“I am very satisfied with what he’s done, the progress he has made,” said assistant Eddie Jordan, who has coached the team in games here. “He’s growing. He’s doing things I didn’t think he’d be able to do. He’s competitive jumping, he’s getting rebounds in traffic.” *Nets are expected to officially announce the signing of Keith Van Horn today. The announcement of the re-signing of Jamie Feick is expected to be made in the next few days.