Of course, Deron Williams’ physique looks more round than he is fast. But if you’ve ever seen a Jazz fast break, you know the 24-year-old point guard is anything but slow.
Although more of a below-the-rim player, Deron has a diverse offensive game that can give him two points with a floater or three with a bomb near the bench. He has a quick first step and speed that seems to pick up past midcourt. When a defender sees Deron shooting at them with that high but controlled dribble, almost as if the rock were a hand (D’s all-time favorite Jason Kidd), they don’t know whether to defend the 3, the drive or the pass.
“Being tricky works in my favor because guys think they can push me a little harder and then I get past them. I like to push the ball. It’s a big strength of my game.”
-Deron Williams
In fact, Deron Williams was the big surprise of Chicago’s pre-draft camp in 2005. The Illinois point guard finished 10th out of 80 players, ahead of top prospects like Chris Paul (16th) and Raymond Felton (18th). In case you’re wondering what pre-draft camp is all about, there’s a mix that measures four key areas:
1) strength (185 pound bench press reps),
2) vertical jump
3) lane agility (how fast a player moves laterally around the key)
4) speed (short stroke)
At the forefront of the field there have been big questions about Deron Williams’ lateral quickness, but he actually tested faster than Paul (!) in the lane agility drill and finished 0.03 seconds behind Paul in the sprint. Williams has lost about 15 pounds and is 7% body fat, which has obviously helped her athleticism. Here are the full results for all 3 bases:
(Name, Bench Press, Vertical Jump, Lane Agility, Court Sprint, Overall Ranking)
Deron Williams, 15, 35″, 10.83, 3.25, 10
Chris Paul, 10, 38″, 11.09, 3.22, 16
Raymond Felton, 6, 33″, 10.50, 3.06, 18
As you can see, Deron Williams has a 35-inch vertical: lo and behold!
But what can YOU do to improve your vertical?
Well, the combination of weight training and jumping jacks may be the most effective:
If you are already fit enough, your legs are already strong enough, you can do these exercises with weights 2 times a week (i.e. Monday and Thursday):
1. Squats – 3 sets x 10
2. Calf raises – 3 sets x 10
3. Leg press – 3 sets x 10
4. Leg Extensions – 2 sets x 20
5. Lunges – 3 sets x 10
Additionally you can try these jumping exercises (also 2 times a week, i.e. Tuesday and Friday):
1. Squat jumps – 2 sets x 75
2. Chair jumps – 2 sets x 30
3. Depth jumps – 2 sets x 15
4. Box jumps – 2 sets x 20