Here on Brooklyn Balling, I’ll try to recap the chaos that was the 2013-14 Nets season with a series of “Season Review” posts on the players, trades, and even coach that shaped how this year turned out. Mason Plumlee was last, and Deron Williams is up next.
Deron Williams has seen his scoring numbers drop in each of the three full seasons he has been with the Nets since his trade from the Jazz, from 21 points per game to to 21 to 18.9 to 14.3.
Granted, that has corresponded with the multitude of ankle problems he has had since coming over to the Nets. He had yet another offseason surgery on both of these ankles just a few days ago, and this is a procedure that removed bone spurs from his ankles and will have him back for training camp.
His problematic ankles limited him to just 64 regular season games during the 2013-14 campaign in which Deron mostly played pretty well, especially during the first round of the playoffs against the Raptors, but sometimes looked like a point guard struggling with his movement.
He averaged 16.9 points on 41% shooting in that Toronto series, but was much less effective against Miami–including his infamous scoreless Game 2–with just 11.2 points per on 37% shooting.
D-Will was pretty dominant at points in the first round, crushing his opposing number Kyle Lowry outright in some games on both offense and defense. Deron, in that series, looked alive and was about as close to his Jazz days as he has ever been in a Nets uniform.
However, when Brooklyn moved on to face the Heat, he just wasn’t able to sustain offense against the tougher Miami defense. To bookend the series, in Games 1 and 5, he scored 17 points a pop but in between was very iffy, even in Brooklyn’s only win in Game 3. Simply put, he just didn’t shoot well, and like many of teammates, got enough open shots but didn’t make enough of them to help the Nets over the edge.
On a more general level, this was the story of Deron’s season and has been for most of his (New Jersey and) Brooklyn Nets tenure. Some nights, he is lights out shooting-wise and possesses the mobility and attacking nature needed to draw fouls and get other easy baskets at the hoop in addition to helping guard on defense.
On other nights, though, he looks like a player who has had as many foot and ankle surgeries as he as had. His jumpers seems perpetually short and in the oft chance he is able to get to the cup, his layups normally fall off the rim harmlessly. Those are the games when it appears as if the Nets made a big mistake with that trade.
Deron is still under contract with the Nets for at least two more seasons, and an additional third should he not exercise his ETO (early termination option) before the 2016-17 season. This means–if the Nets don’t find a team willing to accept his expensive contract via trade–he’s going to be around for a couple more seasons to see if he can return to his old form.
Considering the Nets roster is about as fluid as any in the entire NBA, it’s nice to have the stability of knowing their point guard–in health or injury–is still there. Hopefully, his latest procedure gives him yet another boost that may or may not rejuvenate his career and possibly his team. The 2013-14 postseason was one that could have easily been swung by some better performances from D-Will, and he’s definitely upset about that.
The Nets will probably test the trade waters this offseason in terms of gauging possible interest in Deron, even though his price tag and injury history is likely to scare off any legitimate buyers with legitimate offers. But if he doesn’t improve and continually play well for a Brooklyn squad that needs him badly, those “tests” will turn into him being on the trading block, just waiting for another team to bite and make an offer. One near All-Star level season, though, and those rumors dissipate into thin air.
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