Deron Williams explains decline in play

Brooklyn Nets’ guard Deron Williams has been something of an enigma since he was traded to the team from the Utah Jazz last season.

Since the trade injuries and decreasing percentages have become a staple of the player that was in many hearts considered to be on the road to a Hall of Fame career.

Williams stuck with the Nets after an intense albeit somewhat brief bidding war for his services erupted once free agency began.

Despite not being quite the player that he was in Utah, Williams believed in the new talent that was coming to town and more specifically what coach Avery Johnson is trying to get done.

His story will get even more unique after his recent comments made to ESPN break wide open.

Williams opened himself up and explained what happened last season and how he tends to operate.

“I was injured the first year (and needed season-ending right wrist surgery),” Williams said. “I’ve really had injuries while I’ve been with (the Nets) the whole time. And didn’t have the talent around me that I did (with the Jazz).

“And that system (in Utah) was a great system for my style of play. I’m a system player, and I loved Coach (Jerry) Sloan’s system. I loved the offense there. We could’ve been a really good team. We just
weren’t that good defensively as a group.”

The key word there is system as Williams is a player that has always played under the umbrella of extreme order.

“I grew up in high school, my coach wasn’t one of those guys that would let us just throw out the ball and let us play,” Williams said. “We were a system team. We had a staple of plays that we relied on.

We were good at execution. In college (at Illinois), we ran the motion offense. A lot of cutting, a lot passing, a lot of screening, a lot of extra passes. I’m used to just movement. So I’m still trying to adjust.

It’s been an adjustment for me. But it’s coming along.”

That said, the All-Star point guard feels positive about the direction he and the Nets are headed in.

“I believe I can adapt to anything,” he said. “We’re still a young team. Things don’t happen overnight. It’s still just December. We’re working on it.

Johnson for one agrees with him.

“In Deron’s case, no matter how he’s playing, he just wants us to win,” Coach Johnson said. And that’s what it’s all about. He wants to be really efficient. He’s another player that I am not worried about.”
Check out the documentary on Deron Williams and the Nets below.

Adrian Glover

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