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NBA

NBA Top 50: Deron Williams (No. 20)

Posted Sep 18, 2008 10:30AM By Tom Ziller (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Jazz

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FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

Let's hope the Top 50 curse doesn't spread to No. 20, no offense to the unassailable Ronnie Price. The Jazz without Deron Williams, at this point, wouldn't be close to a top five team. Just as the Hornets seem on the precipice to great things for a decade, Utah hangs around with their own stunner point guard and beefy frontcourt, waiting for Kobe to become unenamored again or the Spurs to die. And the engine that drives those hopes is the league's second-best point guard under the age of 25.

I don't compare unfavorably to Chris Paul as a diss on Williams, just as I wouldn't be demeaning Carlos Boozer to say he's no Karl Malone. Facts is facts. This shouldn't discount the unbelievable talent Williams possesses, nor the value he has become to team and league.

The best point guards in the league are insatiable shooters. In fact, the NBA's top point guards, as a class, have become better shooters than the swingmen counterparts. Billups, Nash, Paul, Williams -- all of these guys shoot better than LeBron, Kobe, Wade. It's a weird situation, given that shooting points are considered a scourge to be removed from this earthly tether. These PGs obviously don't shoot as much as the swings, but frequently enough to greatly dictate the efficacy of the offense.

Williams, for example: he shot 50.7% from the floor and almost 40% from three. Those are high marks for any position, but they absolutely blow away the league-average for PGs. This isn't the only thing that makes Williams a have and, say, Jarrett Jack a have-not. But it's a huge deal. How many guys in the NBA, D-League and Europe can run a team, set up the offense, get the ball to a post threat or an iso star? Tons!, just like the tons of quarterbacks who can call plays, throw 40 yards and run around the pocket. What separates the good QBs is the ability to read a defense and see the play unfold. Point guards? Same thing.

That skill doesn't necessarily show up in assist or turnover numbers: a good portion of PG turnovers come from receiver error, just as incompletions aren't always the QB's fault. But knowing when you, the PG, have the best shot. It's your decision, whether the keep the shot yourself and set up a teammate. It's freedom (unless a coach is calling every play). Williams, and the hot-shooting PGs like him, recognize when they have the proper lay of the land, and as such they score efficiently.

On the pick-and-roll, I'd argue a PG FGA is the safest outcome. With no passes involved, the chance for a turnover is reduced. If a PG can get off a decent shot, he should take it (unless there's a more decent shot for a teammate). This is where Williams is so good: making the right decision here. It often ends up in the hands of Boozer, but Williams is a strong and unafraid to go all the way in himself. He reads the defense. As a result, he makes good decisions and boosts his stellar shooting numbers.

Again, Williams (like the other elites) is a scoring point guard -- he averaged more than 18/game last season. But this brand of scoring PG is a whole lot different than those Starbury/Franchise types, no? Those fellows were scorers who happened to play point guard (Gilbert Arenas and Mike Bibby are other examples); Williams, Paul, Billups and Nash are point guards who can score. The priority set is much better here: get the best shot for your team, even if it's your own. It's semantics, and it never comes up in the flow of the game -- it's much more a back-end philosophy. But that philosophy is all the difference.

Williams, unfortunately, will be overshadowed by Paul's ascent in coming years. We should definitely appreciate this Billups clone, though -- he runs one of the most entertaining offenses in the league, and he's sticking around a long time.

Tags: DeronWilliams, NBATop50

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