Many Brooklyn Nets fans wondered this year if they had given a max contract extension to a Deron Williams who’d struggled with injuries through 1 1/2 seasons in New Jersey and slogged through months of painful basketball. Then he underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy treatment and… well, you know the rest.
“We were kind of going in blind this year, from the arena to how we were going to play as a group,” Williams noted to Ben Couch of the Brooklyn Nets. “There’s still a few things we need to figure out, but it was a step in the right direction.”
During Williams’ roughest patch, the Nets struggled, and Avery Johnson was fired. During the All-Star Break, Williams rested, got platelet-rich plasma treatment, three cortisone shots, and underwent a detoxifying juice cleanse, returning as a player the Brooklyn franchise thought they signed in July.
“I think we got better as the season went on. Myself, personally, just because of injuries—once I got healthy, people saw a little bit of what I can do,” He added that the Nets could hang with anyone when they play at the top of their game.
Williams noted that he believed the team looked best when avoiding the typical isolations that both Johnson and Carlesimo loved to rely on. As Couch states, pushing and passing the ball allowed them a better flow and kept defenses off-balance.
Overall, the Nets and Williams both would rather be playing Miami in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, but know, ultimately, that this season was a success. If Williams can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for Brooklyn.
Couch’s full interview can be found here.
