It didn't take long, however.

By the end of his rookie season, Williams was starting, and he has been ever since.

Asked during a pass through New Jersey earlier this season exactly when it was that he and Williams reached the same wavelength, Sloan suggested there was no memorable moment.

"It's kind of evolved, because he had a little different way, and we've tried to adjust around that a little bit as we go farther," the Jazz coach said. "Because obviously he's the guy that does the job, and we've got to complement him any way we can to try to get the job done.

"I don't have a problem with any of that stuff myself," Sloan added. "I'm only interested in one thing. That's all I tell him is I'm interested in winning."

The words, now, are sweet music to Williams' ears.

"I got blessed into a great situation and a great coach," he said.

"I had to earn his trust my first year and go through some hard times, but the payoff is a lot better," Williams added. "I'm having fun, and I get a chance to win. Not a lot of guys who get drafted in the top five get a chance to win this early in their career. I'm happy."

But it truly has been an evolving process, Williams agreed.

"I'm grasping what Coach wants, and how to balance my scoring and my passing, and trying to get guys involved and knowing when to take over the game," he said during the season. "I think I have a good grasp of that, and try to do that effectively.

"I'm confident in my teammates," Williams added. "They're cutting for me, they're moving, making the game easy for me to find them — and it opens driving lanes for me, opens shots for me."

Teammates are similarly pleased with their point, and the possibilities his presence presents.

"He's getting, every game, a high number of assists, a low turnover ratio," starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer said.

The statistics indeed are impressive.

In the regular season, Williams averaged 10.5 assists per game — third among NBA leaders behind only Paul (11.6) and Nash (11.1), and just ahead of Kidd (10.1).

His 18.8 points-per-game scoring average ranked third among all NBA point guards (topped by Paul and Golden State's Baron Davis, but not Nash). Williams' 50.7 percent field shooting was better than all other Western Conference point guards in the league.

And his 3.09 assists-per-turnover ratio topped every other starting playoff point in the West except Paul's 4.64.

Beyond the numbers, though, it may be the precision that impresses most.