Jason Kidd will bring Deron Williams back into the starting lineup after playing six games off the bench, Kidd announced in Indiana today to reporters. He’ll replace guard Alan Anderson in the lineup, meaning that Williams will start next to fellow point guard Shaun Livingston.
Williams returned to the team on January 21st after ankle treatment, and asked Kidd to come off the bench. He’d undergone platelet-rich plasma therapy and cortisone shots in both ankles.
Though the Livingston-Williams duo has shown promise in spurts, they haven’t produced at a particularly high level. The team actually records fewer assists and more turnovers per minute when the two share the floor.
It’s in a small sample size of 136 minutes scattered over 14 games, but still a surprising early development for the 2-point guard combo.
Kidd also told reporters that center Andray Blatche, who suffered a bruised hip in the first half of the team’s 120-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday, will sit out, joining forward Andrei Kirilenko on the team’s inactive list.
Williams & Livingston will start next to Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. Tipoff at 7 P.M. EST.
