Getty Images There was a time not long ago when Deron Williams was considered to be among the best point guards in the league. His size, speed and court vision were elite, and he regularly was good for games in excess of 20 points and 10 assists.
But ankle problems have limited Williams in recent years, and last season in Brooklyn was his worst statistically since his rookie campaign back in 2006.
He’s feeling much better following offseason surgery, however, and believes there’s no pressure on him to perform after two straight sub-par seasons have taken him out of the national spotlight.
From Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York:
“Everybody’s pretty much written me off,” Williams told the team’s official website. “People say I’m never gonna be like I once was. I’m on the downhill. And so what pressure do I have?” …
“I’m a lot more confident,” Williams said. “I just didn’t have a lot of confidence in my ankles (the last two seasons). They wouldn’t allow me to do the things I was capable of doing.” …
“He has the looks of a man who is out to prove something,” Kevin Garnett said.
With the loss of Paul Pierce in free agency, Williams is going to need to be more involved offensively for the Nets to succeed. Getting Brook Lopez back will help overall, and with a new coach in Lionel Hollins, the offense will look very different than it did a season ago.
Having a healthy and confident Williams to run it could make a huge difference.
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- mywill02100 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:25 AM
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I haven’t completely written you off Deron. Although you havent been the same player since the Jazz I can you can still make a huge impact on this Nets team this year seeing how youre finally healthy. Good luck this year!
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- lazykiz - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:30 AM
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D-Will there is a reason.
You got paid 20M to average 14/6/2 last season, compared to
Cp3: 20M, 19/10
RW: 15M, 22/7
Curry: 11M, 24/8Needless to say you’re overweight, overrated, and overpaid.
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- buttfumbles - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:08 PM
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He can still play at an elite level when completely healthy.
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- greej1938l - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:11 PM
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Yup. He’s right
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- jasper36 - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:12 PM
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For good reasons Deron…For good reasons.
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- spursareold - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:58 PM
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Deron, you’ve SUCKED, so…can you really blame them?
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- Kevin S. - Oct 29, 2014 at 12:31 PM
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That’s awesome Deron. Now instead of whining about it, shut up and catch ‘em napping.
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- rafaelgarcia916 - Oct 29, 2014 at 1:40 PM
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He’s done
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- tashkalucy - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:20 PM
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The guy was bigger then his legendary coach in Utah, he hasn’t won anything, h’s a legend in his own mind. Sort of a poor boys Carmello. Heaven knows they’re playing in the right city in the country, in order to garner attention that they have done nothing to earn.
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- spursareold - Oct 29, 2014 at 5:15 PM
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I don’t think he’s ever really recovered from that perception regarding Sloan. Utah was smart, though. They quietly shopped him WAY early, and dumped him for a pretty good haul at a very early opportunity.
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- ranfan12 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:44 PM
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A motivated Deron Williams? Sounds good to me. Now if he can just stay off the injured list, things should be good for him.
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- campcouch - Oct 29, 2014 at 6:11 PM
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I’m pretty sure you wrote yourself off.
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- 2drunk2dunk - Oct 29, 2014 at 7:32 PM
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Seems like he says this every year before his jankles break again
