Still, Paul seemed to adjust more quickly to the NBA, making an immediate impact while Williams chafed under the tight reigns of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

"We were in a little different situation," Williams said. "He was pretty much handed the ball and allowed to play free. I was playing two-guard, one-guard. Sometimes I wouldn't play. Sometimes I'd play 30 minutes.

"We had different coaches. And one coach really doesn't like rookies."