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FAQ: Deron Williams or Chris Paul?
It is one of the biggest discussions within the NBA. Who is the better point guard: Deron Williams or Chris Paul? Both of them entered the NBA in 2005, both made their teams much better and even conference contenders. Both are currently doing a better job than guys called Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis and Chancey Billups. In fact, the best of the best right now are Deron and Chris, and only Derrick Rose might be able to catch up to them one day in the future.
[SinglePic not found]The special thing about their rivalry: There is none. When the Jazz are in New Orleans, people say it is not uncommon to see Paul inviting Deron over for some card games at his house. According to ESPN Magazine, Paul sent Williams a text message when he scored 40 points for the first time. Paul: “That’s how it’s done, huh?” Williams responded: “I just want to be like you!” The day before Williams got his first 40-point game, Paul scored 40 points himself for the first time. Both won their first title together: Olympic gold in Beijing. So who is the better one?
Williams answered every question about his athleticism by himself. “Some say that he is not athletic or not fast enough,” Paul knows. “But D-Will will dunk on you without thinking about if for a second.” Okay – nobody will confuse Deron with Allen Iverson – Williams doesn’t beat his defenders with sheer speed, but his drives with quick changes are nearly unguardable. With his excellent three-point shooting, he also forces his defenders to be right on him all the time.
Less distance from his defenders also means that his slower first step does not have such a big impact. “I always try to give a more space and force him to take a jump shot,” Paul admits in an interview with ESPN. “He will score his points anyway, but you can’t let him get his teammates involved at all!”
At 6’3” and 200 pounds, Williams is athletic enough to play with the big guys in the paint. He still sees the whole court and consistently finds the open guy, whether during a fast break or a drive.
On defense, Deron can play guards that like to post up. Though small and quick point guards can be a little headache for Deron from time to time, Williams knows to give them some space and take a charge. When his opponent takes a shot, Williams is still tall enough to try to stop that shot effectively or to at least make it as difficult as possible to shoot.
Nobody else in the NBA can handle the ball as well as Chris Paul, and no one can stop his pick-and-roll drive. Paul drives into the paint at will, can change direction really quick and dribbles so low that nobody can get at the ball. On top of all this, Paul has such great court vision that he either sees the open man at the three or throws an alley-oop to center Tyson Chandler – if he doesn’t score with his well-known floater first.
In general, Chris Paul is scoring much more inside than he did in his rookie season. During his first NBA season, Paul just took 1.4 shots inside while shooting 40.9%. In 2007/08, he has improved to 3.7 shots taken and 48.8%. Paul also improved his only offensive weakness: He was never a great shooter, but has improved in this area this season: The statistics so far read 52.3% FG shooting, 36.4% three-point shooting, and 85.6% free throw shooting.
On defense, there is nobody better in the NBA than Chris when it comes to steals. Everybody who dribbles or passes the ball must be careful when Chris Paul is around. This is probably because Paul led the league in steals last season. In addition, the New Orleans point guard is fast enough to stop most penetration. His only weakness on defense: His short arms are not really an effective weapon to stop a jump shot.
Joe Dumars probably explains it best: “Chris and Deron are the best point guard in the NBA. If I had to decide with you whether to pick one or the other, I would probably take the one you didn’t take and still be a very lucky person.” Still, in today’s game, Chris Paul is superior in the end.
Looking at the stats, Paul is scoring a player efficiency rating of 28.3, while Williams gets a PER of just 20.8. Right now, the New Orleans Hornet just has more influence on his team’s game, especially because he is working with a team that is hard to guard. His pick and roll game with Tyson Chandler fits Paul’s style of play perfectly, while the Jazz don’t play like that – mainly because there is no Tyson Chandler in Utah.
In the future though, it looks like Deron Williams could take the lead. At 24 and 12 months older than Paul, it could happen that Paul relies too much on his speed, which does not help point guards as they age.
