Deron Williams Says He Feels “Written Off” And “Confident”
It’s been a struggle for Deron Williams to reach the elite form he cultivated with the Utah Jazz since joining the Brooklyn Nets. In the past Williams was instantly considered and argued as one of the better point guards in the league. That says a lot in this progressive point guard era.
But Williams’ ongoing ankle issues have contributed to his struggles as of late. He says he’s feeling better, and he’s also feeling the need to prove something, via 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.” …
And from Williams’ teammate Kevin Garnett,
“He has the looks of a man who is out to prove something.”
Brooklyn had the biggest offseason of last summer and constructed perhaps the best starting five on paper when they brought in Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Nets escaped the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs in a seven-game series but only mustered one win against the Miami Heat in the second round.
After losing Pierce to Washington and hiring Lionel Hollins to replace Jason Kidd, Brooklyn has another identity challenge. Having Brook Lopez back from injury should help, but the Nets will still need some form of the Deron Williams of old in order to make legitimate noise in the conference.
