This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Oakland, Calif. • Call it old-school positive encouragement. Call it yelling, screaming and fussing. But whatever name it receives, it is working.

Jazz guard Deron Williams had enough after two disappointing blowout losses to start the 2010-11 season. So the All-Star player went vocal on two fronts. First, Williams opened up to the media, publicly challenging his team to find rhythm and questioning whether Utah was putting in enough pre- and post-game work to streamline new faces and multiple offseason changes.

But while that grievance was well documented, Williams' on-the-court aggression has easily made the most difference. As a result, the Jazz (2-2) have turned the early part of their season around, creating energy and efficiency from confusion and frustration.

During recent practices and two consecutive smooth victories, Williams has reminded his teammates to push, push, push whenever possible. The ball does not stagnate. The tempo rolls. And even when a player misses a shot, they know the ball will soon be coming their way again.

"He's just being more vocal. Getting after guys," said guard C.J. Miles, who has taken the largest step forward in recent days. "Not so much the Gordon Hayward incident. Just really motivating guys. Telling them to get going. Telling guys, 'You're open,' and putting a lot of confidence in guys.

"Not that he didn't before. But he's just being more, extra. He's saying, 'If you got a shot, shoot it.'"

The effort to have Utah excel and explode has paid instant dividends for the team's once-sputtering offense. The Jazz have averaged 122.5 points, shot 55.7 percent from the field and produced a sparkling 2.0 turnover-to-assist ratio during two consecutive victories. At the same time, Utah has shot up the charts in the league's offensive rankings. The Jazz rank fifth in the NBA in average points (106.8) and fourth in field-goal percentage (48.1) and assists (25.5).

Everything from crisper passing and harder screens to improved floor spacing and more clearly defined roles in the starting unit have sharpened Utah's offensive attack. But at the core of the team's surge has been Williams. Pushing, pleading and prodding, moving the ball past the half-court line as soon as possible so he can either exploit a mismatch or set up the Jazz's offense and go to work.

"We had to get going. There's just a little sense of urgency," Williams said. "I think if I help communicate on the court, guys will get in the right position and be able to run through. Do the things that we need to do to have success."

In turn, the floor has opened up for Williams. He, too, struggled during the first two games. But in back-to-back victories, the guard is averaging 19 points on 50 percent shooting, 14.5 assists and seven rebounds — and that is even without his normal stroke.

"I haven't shot the ball well yet," Williams said. "Just waiting for that to come around."

Utah guard Raja Bell said he has played with some of the best point guards in the modern game, highlighted by Steve Nash. What they and Williams have in common is duality: the ability to take games over on their own, but just as quickly defer and lift up their teammates.

During Utah's first two losses, though, players looked listless while employing a deadly combination: trying to do everything right and not being assertive.

That changed during a breakout road win Sunday over Oklahoma City. And with Williams charging ahead, the Jazz have followed.

"I think Deron even in the first two games — I'm not saying he didn't play well — but what I think he was doing was try to make people happy. And with him trying to do that, he wasn't being true to himself as a player," Bell said. "We all did it a bit and we were disjointed and it didn't work well.

"We've all tried to get back to doing what we do well. And that's a good group: We have good chemistry when we do what we can do."

bsmith@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribjazz —

Running hot

The Jazz offense has been in rhythm during two consecutive victories:

Average points • 122.5

Average field-goal percentage • 55.7

Assist-to-turnover ratio • 2.0 —

League numbers

The Jazz rank near the top of the NBA in three key offensive categories after four games:

Stat Num Rank

Points 106.8 5

FG Pct 48.1 4

Ast 25.5 4