Q & A With Utah Jazz’ Deron Williams

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA INTERVIEWS

Jazz Knicks Basketball

For those of us who follow the Utah Jazz, especially point guard Deron Williams, it is common knowledge that he is having another stellar campaign this season as he is averaging 21.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 10.7 APG. What isn’t known is that Williams is a thoughtful, well-spoken young man, as evidenced in a questions-and-answers session with The Sporting News’ Bill Eichenberger; below is the Q&A session between the two:

Sporting News: How does it feel to finally get a win at The Garden?

Deron Williams: It feels good, real good to get a win. We were in dire need of one.

SN: How much were you hurting in the second half?

DW: Pretty bad. My back locked up in the second quarter. I probably wouldn’t have played in the second half , but (backup point guard) Ronnie Price was out. Nothing against Eric Maynor, but we needed this win and I wanted to stick it out if I could.

SN: How tough is it when a team like the Knicks plays zone from the middle of the first quarter all the way through the end of the game?

DW: It’s tough. We struggled with the zone against Sacramento, so we knew we would probably see it a little bit tonight. We had good stretches where we got some open shots, then others where we were stagnant and couldn’t find a good open look.

SN: Coach (Jerry) Sloan said he expects to see more teams play zone against you guys. Is it the kind of thing where the more you see it, the better you are able to handle it?

DW: We don’t really practice much against a zone. And we don’t really run much zone either. So it is definitely tough when teams show it a lot.

SN: Even with this win, you guys are off to a slow start. What have been the biggest issues so far?

DW: It’s consistency. We haven’t been consistent on either end of the floor. We’ve struggled at times defensively and struggled at times offensively. And that will continue until we get into a good rhythm and establish some continuity.

SN: How has that inconsistency manifested itself in the games?

DW: We’ve had some really bad games, some really bad quarters that have hurt us. We just need to put together a good 48 minutes of basketball, then we will have a chance to win and be competitive.

SN: Are you comfortable being the team’s leading scorer and the point guard? Is that something that is being asked of you or do you hope to become more of a distributor?

DW: I’m comfortable with it. I was in this same role last year as well, so it is not really anything new.

SN: After his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, I understand Coach Sloan has become a real softie. I hear he’s taking it easy on you guys?

DW: (Laughter). No, not at all. He’s still Coach Sloan. He’s been here 22 years. He’s not going to change.

SN: As a point guard, which other point guards in the league do you particularly admire, and what is it that you like about their games?

DW: I grew up watching Jason Kidd. He’s one of the guys who I try to pattern my game after and try to emulate. I grew up watching a lot of guys who are still in the league. Baron Davis is another one. Those are the kind of guys that you can pick up things from early in your career.

SN: Have you had a chance to build a relationship with former Jazz great John Stockton, a Hall of Famer at your position?

DW: My first two years in the league, I went up and spent a couple of days in the summers with him, learning some things from him, going through his routine that he did to get ready for the season. So I got a chance to talk with him, pick his brain a little bit.

SN: What sorts of things did you do with him?

DW: Just a lot of drills, basketball drills. We did a lot of weight-lifting and conditioning stuff.

SN: Playing in a small market in Utah, do you ever feel that you are sometimes overlooked when people talk about the NBA’s best point guards?

DW: That is something that goes along with playing in a small market. It is something you really can’t control. But there are other benefits to playing in a small market. I’ve enjoyed my time in Utah and look forward to continuing to play there.

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