NBA / Sep 2, 2010 / 11:30 am

The NBA’s Ultimate Franchise Point Guard: Deron Williams

By

Deron Williams (photo. Christian Kozowyck)

Having a good point guard is a must when it comes to winning a championship. With coaches sometimes getting lost in translation during the course of a game, a good team needs someone to direct the show on the floor during the most difficult of times. Here at the office, we have been in heavy debate over over the past two days who the best point guard is to build a franchise around – right now. Many argue that lead guards like Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo are the best in the field for the position. However, Deron Williams is the ultimate franchise point guard.

When comparing Williams with Rose and Rondo, it seems he is not the level of athlete that the latter two guards are. However, he is more athletic than people give him credit for. He has dunked on Rose in the past, and when it comes to pushing the ball on the break, it is a tossup between the three as to who crosses the finish line first with the ball.

But the main factor that makes Williams a better pick than Rose and Rondo is his jump shot. The lack of a consistent jumper has hurt Rondo in the Finals as the Lakers just backed off and dared him to shoot. With Williams on the perimeter, you have to respect his jumper while still having to watch for his quick first step.

Often, one of the most forgotten attributes of a good point guard is intelligence. D-Will has spent his entire career studying under one of the greatest minds in the game in Jerry Sloan. And Sloan has had a close hand in William’s’ development. The fact that Williams has gained Sloan’s trust, proves that D-Will is battle-tested.

Picking Deron over CP3 is a tough call. When healthy, Chris Paul puts up eye-popping numbers and is an amazing individual stat machine. But what separates the two for me is wins. D-Will is a winner. He’s come out on top in so many more meaningful games in college and the pros that he is rarely rattled. The fact that he keeps his cool as the pressure rises give me the confidence to trust that he will lead my team to the promised land. For me, the ultimate franchise point guard is Deron Williams.

What do you think?

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  • Mo

    “Having a good point guard is a must when it comes to winning a championship.”

    Why didn’t John Stockton win one?

  • Ross

    @Goat: First off is Carlos Boozer and David West and Chandler no bodies..Secondly if you look they all have inside scoring as a common theme. but it would take a person with a brain to see that. Lets see what Rose does with a proven inside scorer which he has not had at all! Secondly you must be out of a ___ if you think Curry or Evans is on Rose’s level. An what does Lebron have to do with this conversation he is not even a point guard. Mo Williams is. Nevertheless, D.Rose will prove this season who is the best PG. PERIOD.

  • CTP

    @Mo

    John Stockton didn’t win one, because the 2 times he got to the finals, he had to play MJ, and the Bulls (in their prime).

  • http://None NYC

    Mmmmhhhh. Dwill or CP3 take your choice.

    CP3 is faster. But Deron is bigger. Does team scoring affect their stats, as some said here? Obviously injuries has affected CP3′s standing currently with many critics and maybe again in the future?

    I’ll take Rondo third (as did Yahoo magazine).

    Rondo’s speed, quickness, length, exquisite/crafty ball handling, passing, basketball IQ, crunch time rebounding/scoring, overall fg % and defense make up for his limited outside shot attempts and free throw shooting; which he should improve on this year.

    Also Rondo is rarely hurt and only attempts 11.7 field goal attempts a game for a player that averaged 14 points. That’s very efficient. At this rate if he took 4 more shots a game, he could average 18 points a game this season. We’ll see!

    On the other hand:

    Derrick Rose is a not so impressive defender.
    Derrick can’t shoot so well either(particularly long distance).
    Derrick Rose possesses a relatively low basketball IQ (pushes the ball too hard many times, poor passes, misses open defenders, etc.)
    Derrick Rose is not a great passer at all; probably never will be. That can’t be taught and has nothing to do with team mates.
    Derrick Rose is only really 6’1-2″ tops. He’s not as big as people thinks he is (for example Deron Williams is much bigger).

    Derrick in my opinion is really not a point guard. He’s a shoot first two in a point guards body, who always seems to crouch low in the cross over position (once crossing half court) to drive to the basket, instead of keeping his head up all the time to pass to open or cutting team mate. I think that’s a major flaw in his point guard game.

    A few years from now, the band wagon will be over and we’ll be comparing him to another over-hyped 2gaurd in a one’s body Steve Francis.

    PS: To someone above that said Deron is a bigger Jameer Nelson. Jameer Nelson is not a point guard either and is quite irritating to watch play in my opinion. Those two aren’t even in the same class.

  • http://None NYC

    PS: I meant Derrick Rose “misses open team mates” earlier/above.

    Nash too slow and not enough defense at this stage. Chauncey is a better shooter/driver at this stage of his career than point guard. But their both still good.

  • http://None NYC

    The Jury is still out on John Wall. There are too many good point guards in the NBA and you have to be really good to excel at that position in the NBA.

    I just hope he doesn’t get over hyped to soon, based off of his summer league play. Though Wall did have a decent scoring average and his moments during the summer; he shot at or below 40%, tallied up a bunch of turnovers, made many poor decisions while garnishing up and down assist games.

    Let’s see and hope the NBA doesn’t over-hype him too soon like Derrick Rose.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mr.brogden BERN BROGDEN

    OVIOUSLY NEWYORKCITY AND PHILADELPHIA IS IN AGREEMENT.

    CHRIS 1
    DERON 2
    RONDO 3

    *Crazy how the Olympian who didn’t make the cut…is the only one with a championship.

    Only disagreement, ehmmm Jameer WAS a shoot first pass maybe guard. That was his role at Chester High and at ST JOE’s. That’s what he had to do, for his team to get a W.

    He’s had to continuously learn and sharpen his PG skills because he naturally never HAD to defer. In the big leagues, it’s different. He’s improved his shot and also became an allstar. While I agree Deron and Meer are not cut from the same cloth, I still believe Jameer’s a WINNER.

  • Laker fan

    I would love Dwill to be on my team. I hate the jazz but Dwill always impresses me. Put him along side KOBE!!!! that would be a dream come true.

  • J-money

    Reply to J way up above…

    Paul vs Williams

    Are you kidding me? Chris Paul was put on a team where he has to do all the work or his team doesn’t win. That is why he gets the stats he does. If Williams went to a team that had but one or two other decent players only, you can bet that he would be putting up the same points you see from CP3. Which may, over the course of 5 seasons, translate to better shooting percentages – since he would be shooting so much more. The assists I’ll give you, but it is so close between Williams and Paul that you can hardly use it as a dramatic stat separator. You want assists? Look at Phoenix. D-Will does indeed turn the ball over more, I will also give you that.

    Next up is the size factor. You’re right, it IS great to have a larger, more durable, less injured point guard. Just ask the Hornets how useful that might be… Williams is not the quickest in a full court setting – true. In the half court game however, no guard in the NBA can touch him. His quick cross over and first step will get him to the rack EVERY SINGLE TIME. Like I said, no guard can keep with him in the half court game (consistently) – especially Paul who gets owned in head to head match ups. Anyone recall when Williams crossed Paul over like it was high school gym class, and then dunked over Chandler? Yeah…

    I don’t know where your defense comment is coming from. I don’t understand how Williams can average over a steal per game and under three fouls per game – and play bad defense. He takes plenty of hard charges that other guards would be terrified to take. His defense is actually not terrible. One thing that is true however, is that being a bigger guard it’s easier to snag him on a pick. So sometimes offensive players will break free for a jumper.

    My conclusion?
    Williams is a great point guard, and for franchise sake is the best in the league. Chris Paul is constantly injured and has no resources to lead his team anywhere – so how is he a better franchise PG? People talked about the Hornets being “good” for a whopping two seasons. People have talked about the Utah Jazz being good for two decades. Williams is a leader and, as noted in the article, a winner.

    Recap:
    - He crushes Paul in head to head games.
    - The Jazz have a better winning record with Williams than the Hornets ever will with Paul.
    - He plays more games than Paul, is healthier, and plays through injury.
    - He uses his resources (teammates) better. He’ll run a play that requires 3 or 4 passes instead of just 1. Yeah, he doesn’t get the assist for it, but the Jazz get a W. That is why the Utah Jazz dominate the league in team assists – and that whole process is initiated by the PG.
    - Who played in the last All Star game?
    - Who holds the course record for the skills challenge?

    It goes on and on. I’m not saying Paul isn’t a fantastic player, because he really is. Ball handling is off the charts, too. If I had to put together a team though, I’d take Deron Williams – every. single. time.

    RE:
    Chris Paul has gotten his stats on one of the slowest paced teams in the nba. That actually makes him more impressive compared to other guards like Deron. Also Deron is not nearly as efficient with the ball. More turnovers and fewer assists than Paul.

    Deron does everything CP does, just a little bit worse, even shooting, which used to be a clear D-Will advantage. Look at every statistical indicator in the game and Paul wins.

    It’s great the DWill has size, but he als can’t stay with the quicker point guards in the elague so it ends up being a wash. He’s never been known as a good defender.

    I think Williams is a fantastic point, the second best in the NBA. The only argument to the contrary is that he has more wins and he has beaten Paul in head to head matchups. But would anyone argue that Paul has been on better teams than Deron? No, and yet the Hornets have had a better record 2 of the 5 years they have been in the league. Why? CP3

  • Caderade

    11-3 is the only statistic you need to know. 8>3

  • http://www.alsyart.com Alan Hatch

    This is a hands down winner for d-will. CP3 is as great point but when the two match up against eachother d-will always comes out on top. d-will is not as flashy as cp3 but I think the two are the best points in the league right now. d-will breaks ankles and will take you to the post. CP3 is alwys running hardly ever using a sick crossover. thee two are vastly different but for size and durability d-will gets my nod

  • hooper5013

    Deron Williams is so slept on. I will take him over every one in the league not named Kobe, Bron, Carmelo, Durant. No one else is better than him in the league period let alone at the point guard slot. He is leaps and bounds better than Chris Paul. Derrick Rose is putting it together. I wouldn’t trust Rondo to carry a bum ass team as the top player. D. Williams defense well enough to build around, and he runs the offense well enough to where you can be a championship threat with Mehmet Okur as your 3rd best player. I don’t understand what else there is to want from your point guard. As far as overall skill set offensively and defensively, Kobe and D. Will are the 2 players you can build your team around.

  • http://None NYC

    I hear your point Bern on Jameer vs Williams.

    I got you man!!

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