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BOISE - The Jazz talk about Derek Fisher's leadership qualities so frequently and so enthusiastically, you would think he will be working out of the Oval Office.
But no, Fisher's actual assignment, the one where he intends to earn his $5 million salary, is on the Delta Center floor. Specifically, about 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket.
That's where NBA players shoot three-point shots - which, when taken by Jazz players, tend to bounce harmlessly off the rim.
Deron Williams did his best to change that image last season with a spectacular second half. After the All-Star break, Williams hit an amazing 52.6 percent of his three-pointers, lifting the rookie into 15th place in the league.
"It was a glaring improvement in our team when Deron started hitting those threes," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Yet even with Williams finishing his rookie season by making three-pointers in 13 straight games, the Jazz still ranked among the five worst three-point shooting teams in the league, a status they have held for three seasons. Fisher, Sloan believes, can change that.
Come to think of it, so does Fisher.
"The coaches want us to take as many good shots as we possibly can," Fisher said. "Shoot shots you're comfortable making - and I've grown very comfortable taking and making three-point shots."
Sloan, long a proponent of a layup-first offense, likes the idea of mixing in a few more three-pointers. The difference can be a big one; if the Jazz had equaled Phoenix's 39.9 percent success rate last year instead of their 33.6 percentage, they would have scored 174 more points, or more than two a game. That could mean the difference in several close games, not to mention open up more opportunities inside for power players like Carlos Boozer.
"Everybody benefits," Sloan said. "If you put four or five guys out there who can make shots, it helps everyone. But if the defense backs off of somebody, it makes things much tougher for you inside."
Sloan clearly envisions pairing Williams and Fisher together occasionally, a stretch-the-defense lineup that might help defeat the zone defenses that so frequently bothered the Jazz last season. Only two days into training camp, he sees signs of chemistry between the two point guards.
"[Fisher] and Deron, if they play together, they can understand where each other is on the court, and they'll be able to get each other decent shots," Sloan said. "That's been so difficult for us sometimes."
Fisher is a 37.3 percent three-point shooter over his 10-year career, and has essentially reached 40 percent four times in six seasons. But the 32-year-old guard, acquired in a three-for-one trade with Golden State last July, doesn't consider himself merely a jump-shooter. He's coming off the best season - statistically, anyway - of his career.
That's largely a product of opportunity, of course. During Fisher's eight seasons with the Lakers, the shots went to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, with Fisher mostly serving as a spot-up shooter to foil defenses that tried to double-team the stars. In Oakland, Fisher was a much larger part of the offense, "and I developed a midrange shot and attacked the basket," he said.
The result was 13.3 points and 4.3 assists per night. He figures his contribution in Utah might equal that, because he gets the benefit of a pick-and-screen offense. "I'm excited that after having to run around all the screens against the Jazz, now [defenders] are going to have to chase me around. It can wear you out. I'm looking forward to that."
Three-Point Shooting
Derek Fisher brings much-needed three-point shooting ability to the Jazz
Derek Jazz Jazz
Year Fisher % Team % Rank
2001-02 .413 .333 25th
2002-03 .401 .349 17th
2003-04 .291 .321 28th
2004-05 .371 .328 28th
2005-06 .397 .336 26th
Jazz Key Dates
* PRESEASON OPENER:
Tues. at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m.
* SEASON OPENER:
Nov. 1 vs. Houston, 7 p.m.