Look for Deron Williams to have an improved season in Utah, if indicators from the Jazz' training camp are any indication. Williams appears to have impressed his teammates with the time he's spent on his game over the summer.
"He got a lot better," Carlos Boozer said after watching Williams score 18 points to lead teammates including Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur to an 80-43 scrimmage blowout over a squad featuring Boozer, Derek Fisher and Matt Harpring. "He looks like a completely different player, even more so than at the end of last season. He's just better. He looks confident. He's in great shape ... He has a swagger about him that he's worked out with for four days. He's just more comfortable with the offense now. He looks terrific."
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan doesn't debate those points.
"About every day he's played pretty good," Sloan said. "Things (are) a little bit easier for him. He understands what we're trying to do. And he's comfortable. He's made himself a better player with his defense. He's worked on his technique. He goes out there and gets after it."
"He came in and pushed himself," the Jazz coach said. "I think he wants to be a good player, and when you want to be a good player you're not afraid to work. Don't talk about it, just go out and do it. That's what he's been able to do."