True Hoop points out something that Illini fans have known for years now and the rest of the basketball world is unabashedly catching on to: Utah Jazz point guard (and former Illini star) Deron Williams is freaking awesome.
He's decisive as all get-out. He knows what he wants to do with the ball, and he's not bashful about directing teammates, who seem more than willing to take direction from him. Similarly, Jerry Sloan clearly trusts him to make things work on the court.
I know we all like to think of Utah as the model of self-control, but make no mistake: Deron Williams dribbles and shoots a lot. Threes, spot-up twos, off the dribble in the lane, on the break ... it's the nature of their four-forward offense that someone has to be the creator, and it's usually Deron Williams.
For all the talk of Chris Paul last season, it's Williams who has exploded on the scene this year and led the Jazz to the best record in the NBA. To be able to pull all that off and still live in a city where it's difficult to find a good place to drink, well, we can tell that Deron spent plenty of time in Champaign.**
Deron Williams Is Good [True Hoop]
** Apologies, from an alum, to Murphy's, the White Horse, the Tumble Inn and the Blind Pig.