Ranking the top-10 Guards in Utah Jazz history
By Nathan Smith
4. Deron Williams
Career numbers: 17.1 PPG, 9.1 APG, 3.2 RPG, 439 GP, 2 All Star selections, 2 All-NBA selections, NBA All-Rookie first team selection.
Deron Williams may go down as one of the most underrated stars in NBA history, but his time in Utah will be remembered well by Jazz fans, as he paired up with Carlos Boozer to give the Jazz two All-NBA caliber players, and a team that was a whole lot of fun to watch. His time in Utah definitely ended a lot sooner than anyone would have liked, but during that time, Williams was up there with the likes of Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Brandon Roy and Dwayne Wade as one of the best guards in the entire league.
His career outside of Utah never lived up to what he showed while in Salt Lake City, but with a balanced game that involved scoring on every level, IQ and great passing, he became one of the best point guards in the league, and one of the best in Jazz franchise history. His game fit perfectly with all the big men the Jazz had during his time in Utah, and he made this team better, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to lead them to any postseason success, which seems to be a running theme with Utah, who’ve struggled to turn regular season success into playoff wins over the last 20-years.
Williams however will be remembered as an absolute star, and if he could have stayed with Utah a bit longer, then perhaps they could have built a winner around him, but as an individual, he was fantastic for this franchise, and helped revitalize a lot of interest in the Jazz.