Deron Williams

Overview:An incredibly talented young point guard that is already amongst the League’s best as his position. Very tall and strong for his position. Will surprise people with his athleticism. Not incredibly explosive, but knows how to get to spots on the floor and make the most of his natural tools. Shows good agility and explosiveness at the rim. Can score in all kinds of situations, and has become extremely efficient offensively. Shoots it well from the outside. Knows how to run a team. Very savvy for a player his age. Not a great defender, but will force some turnovers. Had a tremendous three year career at Illinois, despite not being the most highly touted prep recruit. Proved himself to be an elite floor general, finishing his career by leading the Illini to the National Championship Game. Solidified his stock as an elite prospect despite not scoring at a high level. Was an impact player in the NBA from day one and has become one of the most productive players in the game in only three years. Will always be compared to the player selected one-spot behind him in the 2005 draft: Chris Paul.

Offense: One of the best offensive point guards in the NBA already. Can score and distribute productively. Gets more than half of his touches in pick and roll situations and as the ball handler in fast break situations. Also gets some shots up by spotting up, going one-on-one, and working without the ball. Has a reliable shooting stroke that he’s developed from a potential weakness to a clear strength since leaving Illinois. Hits the three at a great rate, but doesn’t take all that many per game. A very good catch and shoot option, but that isn’t how he gets most of his shots up. Extremely effective shooter off the dribble, particularly from mid-range. Will knock down shots driving in either direction with good accuracy. Able to get his shot off over smaller point guards with little trouble. Change of speeds helps him create separation. Very crafty ball handler. Gets as many shots off at the rim as he does as a jump shooter. Finishes at a great rate thanks to his size, smarts and strength. Fearless when he attacks the rim. Will surprise some defenders with his leaping ability. Shows some nice spin moves and will get creative to get the ball up on the rim. Very good touch from in close. Will make some extremely tough short-range shots showing fantastic touch. Has improved his free throw shooting to a solid rate. One of the game’s best passers. Runs the pick and roll as well as any player in the NBA. Makes great decisions with the ball. Sneaks passes in between defenders regularly. Will get a little loose with his passes in transition, and could stand to be a little more disciplined when he’s looking to pass at full speed. Does a great job faking passes and using his strength to create angles for assists. Gets a little too creative at times and thus is fairly turnover prone. Becoming the total package on the offensive end, as a perfect mix between being a scorer and distributor, but still has even more room to improve, which is scary.

Defense: An average defensive player whose size allows him to be effective against many starting point guards. Would probably be more effective (like he was in college) if he wasn’t relied upon so heavily on the other end of the floor. Big and strong enough to push around most of the players he is matched up with. Is one of the league’s best at taking charges. Will get down in a stance and work to stay in front of his man, but lacks the lateral quickness and consistent focus to do so consistently. Gets beat of the dribble when he’s forced to close out. Does a solid job fighting through screens. Will keep his man from blowing by him when he’s playing one-on-one, but will give up a lot of midrange looks. Rebounds the ball at a solid rate for a point guard. Comes up with some steals due to his quick hands. Won’t deflect a lot of passes, forcing most of his turnovers on the ball. Commits quite a few fouls for a point guard, using his size too aggressively. Will play great defense in spurts, but is forced to play too many minutes to be able to put in the type of effort needed to maintain that same level of intensity for an entire game.

It's probably about time Deron Williams was mentioned in one of these tournament recaps, and with the way he played tonight, it's basically impossible not to. Williams solidified himself as the top playmaking PG in this draft with the way he played tonight, tearing apart Milwaukee's defense in effortless fashion, showing off some incredible court vision and running his team with the poise of a ten year pro. What really stood out tonight, though, was the way he managed to combine his incredible passing ability with his scoring efforts, something that we knew he could do but he hasn't always shown because of how unselfish he is. He scored from all over the court tonight; from behind the arc, pulling up from mid-range off the dribble, and getting into the lane and scoring at the basket. He did it in the context of the offense as well, as he always does in his unselfish way, and in a timely fashion exactly when Illinois needed it the most. He also held his own quite well on the defensive end, playing some excellent defense on UW-Milwaukee's best scorer Ed McCants, basically holding him scoreless until the game was firmly in Illinois' grasp. Williams will need another outstanding game on both ends of the court on Saturday when he matches up with either Salim Stoudamire or Hassan Adams in a game that is looking like a potential classic.

Strengths
Incredibly smart, strong and tough PG with an outstanding handle with either hand. He can take you left or right equally well, with a lethal crossover and strong body fakes, and if his man hesitates or backs off him for just a second he'll stop on a dime and nail the mid-range jumper right on top of him. Despite his average foot speed, Williams always finds a way to get inside the lane.

Fundamentally sound. Has an incredible knack for running a basketball team, he knows how to feed his teammates and always places the ball exactly where they want it thanks to his outstanding court vision and feel for the game. Watching him run the pick and roll (and he can be on either end) is a thing of beauty. Williams can make the simple bounce pass just as well as he can heave precise full-court bombs to ignite the fast break. Plays with incredible patience and composure for a player his age, doesn't panic and always lets the game come to him, always fully taking advantage of his strengths.

He plays terrific defense (in the NCAA), mainly because of his strength and footwork, but also because of his excellent fundamentals and high basketball IQ. Doesn't risk his defensive position to get in the passing lanes and come up with steals.

Whether he's scoring or not, Williams always makes his presence felt on the floor. He also seems to have a pretty good demeanor on and off the floor, which is nice to see from the heart and brains of your team.

Williams is a good perimeter shooter, hitting about two threes a game in the NCAA over the past two seasons, usually on good percentages.

In crunch time, Williams wants the ball in his hands and usually does exactly what's needed to help his team come away with the W. He's exactly the type of guy you want handling the ball when the game is on the line, as his decision making is usually superb. A good free throw shooter as well.

Weaknesses
Doesn't have great footspeed or a very quick first step. Most NBA PG's have an extra burst of speed they can switch into to blow by their man and create their own shot, or get into the lane and create for others. Deron Williams doesn't.

He finds ways around that on the NCAA level, using a wide array of body fakes and nifty dribbling to get his defenders off balance. Will he be able to do the same in the NBA?

Defensively, he plays very well on the college level, but could have trouble finding the lateral quickness to guard players like Stephon Marbury, Dwyane Wade and others.

His three point shot isn't super consistent just yet, but I don't think that's too much of a cause for concern. His release could be a little faster, but that will likely be worked on in the pros.

And lastly, how is his conditioning? He looks just a little pudgy; does he have room to get a little faster by shedding some weight? Is that just his body type?


Competition
Thrown straight into the fire as a freshman, starting in 30 out of 32 games his first season, ranking third in the Big Ten in assists, with close to five per game. That following summer was named a member of the US Junior World Championship Qualifying Team.

Had a breakout season nationally as a sophomore, named to the First-Team All-Big Ten for both conference and tournament play. Had 31 points (10-13 shooting) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a win over Cincinnati.

Member of the USA Junior World Championship that finished 5-0 to win the 2003 Global Games in Dallas, Texas. Started all five games and averaged 10.8 ppg., 4.0 apg., and shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 58.3 percent from 3-point (14-24 3pt FGs). Co-MVP of the Tournament. (http://www.usabasketball.com/biosmen/deron_williams_bio.html)

Outlook
Seems likely to at least test the draft waters this summer. His stock is highly dependant on who's being asked, especially in such a strong year for point guards, although it's hard (for me at least) to see him slipping out of the middle of the first round at worst. At best he could go top 10.

Comments
Even though he definitely lacks speed, I can easily see Williams becoming a very good PG in the NBA. The key for him will be landing in the right situation, on a team that can play to his strengths and utilize his terrific playmaking skills, like the Utah Jazz or Houston Rockets for example.

I'm usually pretty quick to rule out players that I don't think are quick enough to make it in the athleticism infatuated NBA, but there is something about the way Deron Williams plays the game that makes me think he is going to really special...

He'd definitely be an excellent candidate to represent the US in the upcoming Olympics and possibly the World Championships. His strengths and style of play are tailor made for international competition.


Facts
Has a two year old daughter, Denae.