Deron WILLIAMS

Filling John Stockton's shoes as playmaker for the Utah Jazz was always going to be a big ask, but Deron Williams certainly gave it his best shot after being drafted in 2005.

After spending five days with the great man, the West Virginia native soon established himself as Utah's prime point guard and even earned favourable comparisons with the Dream Team legend.

Williams helped the Jazz to the 2007 Western Conference Finals, where they went down to the San Antonio Spurs. He then played for Team USA in their victorious FIBA Americas Championship campaign which secured their berth at Beijing 2008.

While not a starter, 'D-Will' enjoyed significant time on court and scored double figures in group play against Spain and in the quarter-final win over Australia.

His friendly rivalry with Chris Paul - the number four overall draft pick in 2005 to Williams' number three - continued in Beijing with 'CP3' having slightly more game time.

Williams made the first of three consecutive All-Star appearances in his final season at the Jazz in 2010 before a long-running feud with veteran head coach Jerry Sloan saw him join the New Jersey Nets.