The NBA’s 30 best go-to players (#10: Deron Williams)
Who do you want your offense to run through with everything on the line? Counting down 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…
*** *** ***
#10: DERON WILLIAMS, Utah Jazz
It takes a special point guard to hold down the dual responsibility of being his team’s on-court quarterback and its go-to scorer. And in this new golden era of PG’s, Deron is built to handle both jobs better than just about anyone.
Going into his fifth pro season, Deron has almost mastered the art of knowing when to switch his mindset from pass-first playmaker to cold blooded point-maker and back again. One of only two players in the League to average double-digit assists last season (10.7 apg), he doubles as Utah’s primary scorer in clutch situations — and when Carlos Boozer isn’t around, their top offensive option full-time (19.4 ppg). Consider how Deron played during Utah’s 12-game win streak last season: one night he dropped 30 points on the Lakers, another time he handed out 20 assists against the Warriors. Overall, D-Will averaged 20 points and 12.4 dimes over that stretch.
Since making the ‘07 Western Conference Finals, Utah’s last two playoff runs were ended by the eventual conference champion Lakers. Deron was the team’s best player both times, pretty much the only reason they even stood a chance at upsetting Kobe’s squad. In last year’s first-round loss, Williams handed out 17 dimes in Game 1, scored 35 in Game 2, put up 23 and 13 in Game 4, and hit the game-winner in Game 3.
While he’s taken on more of a scoring role in the postseason, Deron’s passing is the foundation of his crunch-time production. According to 82games.com, he averaged 12.4 assists per 48 minutes of “clutch time,” just a hair behind LeBron’s League-leading 12.6 dimes. In the fourth quarter, Deron led the NBA in assists with 2.3 per. Whether it’s a pick-and-roll with Boozer, driving and kicking to shooters like Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver, or setting up leapers like Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles in transition, he runs Jerry Sloan’s system almost flawlessly when pressure is at its highest.
As a scorer, Williams relies on his pull-up jumper — and like most go-to point guards, almost always gets it by creating his own shot. Only nine percent of Deron’s clutch-time buckets last season were assisted; that number was even with Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, and only Devin Harris (3%) had a lower percentage among top-level point guards. Blessed with one of the tightest handles in the League and enough power to out-muscle most point guards, Deron sets himself up to score off the dribble better than anyone at the position.
Williams could stand to improve his three-point shooting (31%), cut down his turnovers in crunch time, and there have been reports surfacing lately that the ankle that bothered him last season could still be a problem this season. But with the Northwest Division expected to be tighter than Deron’s waves, he’ll have plenty of close games and crunch-time reps to make his move toward the top of the PG charts.
*** *** ***
11. Vince Carter
12. Joe Johnson
13. Danny Granger
14. Steve Nash
15. Kevin Durant
16. Gilbert Arenas
17. Derrick Rose
18. Chris Bosh
19. Andre Iguodala
20. Tracy McGrady
21. Baron Davis
22. Michael Redd
23. Devin Harris
24. Kevin Martin
25. Al Jefferson
26. O.J. Mayo
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Nate Robinson
29. Boris Diaw
30. Rip Hamilton
* Follow Austin Burton on Twitter: @AustinatDIMEmag
* Follow Dime on Twitter: @DIMEMag
* Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE
October 15th, 2009 at 10:47 am
svigi says:
i’ve never been first
October 15th, 2009 at 10:47 am
svigi says:
oh,but it’s not that fun
October 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Ian says:
still nash is the best go to guy on the list.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Rizwan says:
D Will is underrated. Big fan of him but I dont think he ought to be above Nash and Gilbert still!
I feel accomplishments ought to play a part and Arenas and Nash have gone further in the playoffs when its their team. I know D will has been to the conference finals but that was when Boozer was top dog. Plus both of them are multiple time all stars. Criminal that Deron hasnt been but still he hasnt been!
October 15th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Brian says:
I would take Williams over Nash any day.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Mellmeister says:
Hope this is the season that D.Will cracks an AllStar Slot… Sad though, The West is packed with AllStar PointGuards… (CP3, Tony P, Nash, Mr.BigShot)
October 15th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
aj says:
I’d take D-Will over everyone already on the list plus I’d take him in crunch time over CP3, Nowitzki, and Roy. But D-Will ain’t get the hype everyone else above him gets so it’ll be tough for him to crack the top of this list or the top of the All-Star ballot.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Vittorio De Zen says:
This is ranking Nash today and Deron Williams today, not Nash in his prime. Come on, Ian, you’d take Nash over D-Will right now?
October 15th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
The other Aj says:
D Will is much better than he gets credit for. He’s a top 5 PG in this league.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
dagwaller says:
I’m with you, Ian. Can’t argue with those percentages.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
doc says:
@Rizwan-Gil went to a conference final because where im from thats farther than the 2nd round.While Nash made it to the same spot as him.And Nash dont want no parts of D Will yall tripping.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
kevin k says:
The most underrated player in the league by far. Not even close.
D-Will > CP3. Look at their h2h match ups. Deron can actually carry his team by scoring when his teammates are struggling, something that CP3 have really hard time doing.
Deron hasn’t made the all-star team yet which is a crime.
October 15th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Ian says:
vittorio
no i wouldnt take nash as the player to start my team but if i had them both nash gets the ball easy in crunch time. nash is the best shooter in the league period.
October 15th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Rizwan says:
@ doc – I never said Gilbert Arenas went to the conference finals – I said Deron did. Maybe you ought to read what I wrote before criticising it. The point I was making was that Deron Williams has been further but not when it has been his team which was last season. I still would want Steve Nash to take my last shot today. But this is not me denying that Deron is a better player now.
October 15th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
doc says:
My bad squad.But I think that was Derons team then.Thats what I remember is him going to work.Not Booz.And last shot and go to guy are totally different.I like Paxson and Kerr to take the last shot but Mike gotta get u in that situaition feel me.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
dreams says:
Deron Williams is the best point guard breathing PERIOD.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
ProphetGK says:
D Will is a mothaf@$^ing beast!!!
October 15th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Old Knick Fan says:
What happened to numbers 1-9?
October 15th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Ian says:
ok doc
i rather have nash the last 5 mns of a close game and the last shot
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:12 am
Utah Jazz Blog says:
No way there are 9 better go-to guys in the league than DWill. The dude is clutch. He can get his shot off on anyone, and he hits them most of the time.