OFFICIAL 2010-2011 NBA PLAYOFFS THREAD : VOL. MOST. ANTICIPATED. PLAYOFFS. EVER?

If you're looking for someone to blame for the Utah Jazz's recent struggles, don't point your finger at Deron Williams.

The All-Star point guard is frustrated these days, and rightfully so. He's doing all he can to keep the 27-18 Jazz relevant in the Western Conference this season, which is no easy task. Though he may not admit it, he's finding it increasingly difficult without Carlos Boozer at his side. No, Steve Nash isn't the only elite point guard in the West who has missed the company of an All-Star big man this season.

But like Nash, Williams is realizing he can't do it all by himself, despite his best efforts. Instead of wallowing in Boozer's absence, the 26-year-old point guard has responded by playing some of the best ball of his six-year career. Williams' 22.8 player efficiency rating, 59.9 true shooting percentage and 118 offensive rating are all career highs. If he continues at this torrid rate, he'll join Chris Paul as the only players to average 21 points and nine assists since Tim Hardaway in the 1992-93 season for the Golden State Warriors.

In a Darwinian sense, Williams has evolved to adapt to his new surroundings. The Jazz hoped to replace Boozer's production by promoting Paul Millsap to the starting lineup and acquiring former Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson to man the center position. Millsap has filled in nicely but he's not as lethal in the pick-and-roll as Boozer, who was the fourth most efficient roll man in the NBA last season, according to Synergy. (Boozer scored 1.28 points per pick-and-roll finish last season, while Millsap has scored just 1.14 this season.)

As a result, Williams has moved away from ball-screen attacks and migrated toward creating offense for himself. He's shouldered more responsibility on the offensive end, raising his usage rate -- the percentage of team possessions a player uses while on the floor -- from 23.8 percent last season to a career-high 26.4 percent in his Boozer-less campaign.

How has Williams maintained his efficiency while taking on more offense? The versatile point guard has put a greater emphasis on the two most efficient weapons for a scorer: getting to the free throw line and raining from beyond the arc.

No point guard can match Williams' overwhelming combination of strength and speed. As such, he has elected to take his man off the dribble and to the rack far more than he's done in the past. According to Synergy, Williams has upped his share of isolation plays from 18.7 percent to 23.3 percent of his offense, which ranks as one of the biggest increases in the league.

Defenders are finding it near impossible to stop his inertia once he gets into the lane. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is earning seven trips to the free throw line per game, which is an incredible mark considering where he was four seasons ago. In the 2006-07 season, Williams was a below-average foul-drawer and averaged 3.7 free throws per game. Now, Williams finds himself among the very best at his position in free throw rate (free throw attempts per field goal attempt). When defenders send a career 81 percent free throw shooter to the line, it's the equivalent of relinquishing a wide-open layup -- only they pick up a foul, too.

Williams is embracing his long-distance stroke, as well. The point guard has always been a formidable 3-point threat from downtown, but the Jazz didn't need him to flash that part of his game as much with Mehmet Okur, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver manning the arc. But without them, Williams has become the team's leading 3-point shooter, with 4.9 attempts per game at a 37.4 percent clip. Last year, he took just 3.4 3-pointers a game.

Williams has taken his game to the next level, but you may not have noticed with fellow point guards Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose improving by leaps and bounds this season. Rest assured, Williams is padding what was already a top-notch resume this season and making the summer of 2012, when he can become a free agent, all the more intriguing.

With Williams already expressing concern over the direction of the team, the Jazz's front office better hope Jerry Sloan can right the ship soon or they risk jeopardizing the future of their franchise, one that should revolve around their star point guard.
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Nice scouting report on D-Will...another thing I've noticed this year is if he's dribbling and you don't stop him by the time he gets to the three point line, he's going full speed into the paint to get a layup, assist or draw free throws.
 
Nice scouting report on D-Will...another thing I've noticed this year is if he's dribbling and you don't stop him by the time he gets to the three point line, he's going full speed into the paint to get a layup, assist or draw free throws.
 
White Chocolate done got waived. RIP to his career
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Deron is a great 2 scorer and will run your team exactly how you want. But if they don't pickup what they lost in boozer, there going nowhere.
 
Deron is a great 2 scorer and will run your team exactly how you want. But if they don't pickup what they lost in boozer, there going nowhere.
 
Utah got bailed out the first month of the season with all those comebacks but I knew that wasn't going to last long. Only a matter of time before falling behind in games was going to catch up to them. They struggle to run their offense, their front court is too small and they're not getting enough consistent contributions from their wing players.
 
Utah got bailed out the first month of the season with all those comebacks but I knew that wasn't going to last long. Only a matter of time before falling behind in games was going to catch up to them. They struggle to run their offense, their front court is too small and they're not getting enough consistent contributions from their wing players.
 
Bad call with the Beasley charge. Dude was already in the air and Beasly ran underneath him.
 
Bad call with the Beasley charge. Dude was already in the air and Beasly ran underneath him.
 
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