This Is Our Team: Deron Williams
01 October 2008
As Jason Kidd makes his heroic return as floor general, the future of Team USA’s point guard position belongs to Deron Williams.
Jason Kidd has long been the standard for leadership on the court, considered one of the greatest point guards in history. And under his leadership Team USA has never failed. From his first appearance as a pro in 2000 to his amazing display at the FIBA Americas tournament in 2007, he has racked up an undefeated record. But last summer he found great support in a young point guard from Utah, who is, perhaps the only player that could ever fill his shoes and carry the torch.
Deron Williams is widely considered to be one of the most promising point guards to hit the league in years. In his three years in college he led his team in scoring, led them to a near undefeated season his junior year, and took them to the national championships in 2005. In his first three years in the pros he has helped return Utah to the top of the Western Conference. And it was his physical presence and maturity that turned heads in the Team USA training camp last summer in Vegas. People were amazed that such a young player could play with such poise and power.
"Deron just came along so fast," Chris Bosh said about Williams' development. "He can shoot the ball well, he's big, he's physical, he's quick, he can run an offense and he's unselfish."
Praise like that from a legend like Kidd and from the fans and critics across the country could have easily gone to hiss head, but his determination to be the best in the game has kept him humble, focused and hard working. Playing behind Kidd, Williams got to study and learn from one of the best point guards of all time.
“Jason's a guy that I grew up trying to emulate, trying to be like as a kid," said Williams. "Anything he sees that I'm doing wrong or I could do differently. Whether it's something simple as, you know, I made a chest pass today when I should have made a bounce pass. He came over and told me 'Drop it down low. There's not as many hands to get through.' He's just helping me out."
Deron took the Team USA experience in 2007 and used it to make his game even stronger on the professional level. In the 2007-2008 season, Williams set career highs in both scoring (18.8 ppg) and assists (10.5 apg), while leading Utah to a 54–28 record in the regular season and finishing third in the league in assists. His superb individual play and his ability to make his teammates better helped take Utah deep into the playoffs for the second year in a row, but he still sees room for improvement.
"You can always learn," Williams said. "You can always improve. You can always get better. You just gotta stay hungry to do that. I think there's a lot of maturing I can do as far as being a leader on my team."
After this season's performance and the upcoming USAB training camp the world will be waiting to see what Deron has in store.
"He has all the tools to be one of the top point guards," Kidd said, "if not the top point guard, when it's all said and done."
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