The Nets had a furious second-half rally but could not catch up with the hot-handed Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Despite a season-high in points from star point guard Deron Williams, the Nets fell short to the Thunder, 117-111.
Deron Williams has been shanking frequently. It’s been that way for a little while, with Deron going from a .439 field-goal mark in 2010-2011, to a .407 mark in 2011-2012, to where we’re currently at with his .382 field-goal percentage in 2012-2013. Howard Beck of the New York Times listed some functional reasons that may account for Deron’s shooting woes:
“The source of Williams’s struggles is somewhat elusive, but injuries — including a banged-up right (shooting) wrist and sore right elbow — have surely played a role. He also has a left-ankle injury that will probably require surgery next summer. Williams said it is not the bumps and bruises, but his general comfort level, that is to blame.”
These injuries could certainly influence why Deron Williams isn’t the .507 shooter he was back in 2007-2008. I would like to posit another reason for his decease in efficiency, though. Take a look at Deron’s current shot distribution chart for the 2012-2013 season, and pay special attention to his shots near the rim.
So we can avoid the “small sample size” tag, here are Williams’ shots in 2011-2012. Note that under 30% of his tries came at the rim last season.
Finally, take a look at Deron’s best shooting season, 2007-2008 in Utah. Back then, he was attempting 43.3% of his shots right at the rim, more than 18% above the clip he’s currently logging.
You may also notice that in 2007-2008, three-point attempts only added up to 18.2% of Williams’ total shot amount. In 2012-2013, a whopping 38.7% of Deron’s shots are coming from distance. Considering that Deron Williams hit .395 of his three point tries in 2007-2008 (he’s now hitting .268 from deep), less could be more for Williams.
Deron Williams has roughly maintained the same level of accuracy on long two-point tries, though. In 2007-2008, Williams was 46 percent on long twos, which is only three percent better than his current mark from that range (via HoopData). Williams’ free-throw percentage has also held steady over the last two years. Subjectively, it doesn’t look like he’s shooting any differently than he used to.
The problem, as I see it, is that so many of his attempts happen far from the rim. It could be a matter of diminishing athleticism, but I would hazard that offensive scheme has its impact. In the flex-cut Jerry Sloan system, Deron Williams received screens below the three point line, as part of a constantly moving offense. This allowed for many driving lanes to the rim, many shots at the basket.
With the Nets, Deron Williams more often finds himself in isolation, dribbling above the arc. Sometimes, shooting well has little to do with your shooting form. This could be one of those instances.
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The Brooklyn Nets are off to a fast start at 10-4, tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knicks.
They have received great play from their refurbished bench, as well as from Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Joe Johnson is working his way back to his old form after struggling with his shot early on, and Kris Humphries has seen a slight regression is his scoring due to the overall improvement of the team on the offensive end of the court.
Opposing teams have yet to figure out a surefire way of beating the Nets, but there’s one glaring weakness that the opposition needs to learn to attack.
Lopez and Humphries, while they are capable of holding their own on the offensive side of the ball, aren’t exactly the greatest post defenders.
Lopez is notorious for not playing defense or rebounding well, while Humphries is a solid rebounder that lacks in overall defense.
Attacking the Nets inside is something that all teams should try to do—regardless of their talent level at power forward and center.
Look at the Cleveland Cavaliers for example.
Anderson Varejao had the night of his career on November 13 against the Nets. He scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, primarily being matched up with Lopez.
It was Varejao‘s sixth—yes, sixth—career 20-point game. That’s over a nine-year NBA career.
Varejao isn’t exactly a dominant offensive force in the paint (he’s averaged just 7.5 points per game over the course of his career). His outburst earlier in the month is further proof that the Nets can’t handle aggressive big men.
In the Nets’ most recent game against the Boston Celtics, they were unable to slow down big men Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett.
While neither of them necessarily “went off,” they each dropped 16 points on over 50 percent shooting.
The Nets are giving centers and power forwards too many easy looks and wide open lanes to the basket, making it an easy weakness to exploit. Opposing teams need to start taking advantage of that and working the ball inside against Brooklyn. As of right now, they just aren’t able to stop it.
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According to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York, Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams is playing with a sprained joint in his right wrist. The injury was reportedly sustained while Williams attempted to brace himself for a fall against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 23.
For those familiar with Williams, this is not the first time his wrist has been injured and that’s exactly why Brooklyn must be cautious with their superstar.
Williams underwent surgery to remove three bone fragments and scar tissue from his right wrist on April 11, 2011 (via ESPN New York). This creates the concern that Williams has not properly healed from a surgery that was considered to be intensive.
When interviewed about the injury, Mazzeo reports that Williams played it off as if it were minor.
“When I went up against Blake Griffin [to try to dunk the ball] I landed on it. I came down and braced my fall with the right wrist, and I jammed it,” Williams said after the Nets defeated the rival New York Knicks 96-89 in overtime Monday night at Barclays Center.
“…it doesn’t have anything to do with the surgery… I just kind of sprained a joint, so it’s been a little bit sore,” he said.
Although one might be inclined to believe he knows his body best, there is no way around how concerning this injury is. We’re just 13 games into the Nets’ season, leaving 69 regular season games and additional postseason outings for D-Will to aggravate said ailment.
Considering this season is so young, D-Will and the Nets must consider offering the point guard time to rest. This is especially necessary when considering this isn’t D-Will’s first injury of the season.
News of bone spurs in his left ankle became available on Nov. 1 (via ESPN New York).
For that reason, a cautious approach must be taken by the Brooklyn franchise. That is, if they hope to maximize the value of their greatest investment come the postseason.
Direct Impact on Production
For those who believe that Deron Williams will be able to fight through this injury, stop yourself. No matter how powerful Williams’ will to fight through pain may be, there is no way around one very important fact.
This injury is having a direct impact on Williams’ production.
Thus far this season Williams’ solid averages of 16.7 points and 8.9 assists per game are marred by a slash line of .394/.265/.876. No matter how hard fans try to defend his play, this is the second consecutive injury-ridden season that is damaging Williams’ shooting.
According to Mazzeo‘s previously referenced report, D-Will knows it.
“I still haven’t shot the ball well,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to get through these little nagging injuries, so hopefully I can shoot a little bit better and help my team a little bit more. I’m just trying to do the little things, get everybody involved, play solid defense and help my team win.”
The Nets are 9-4 and Williams is doing all he can to overcome his poor shooting performances.
Considering he’s making less than 40 percent of his shots, however, Williams’ performances can be relatively damaging.
Struggling Shooters
The Brooklyn Nets may be 9-4, but they are far from where they desire to be.
The Nets rank 19th in the league with 95.6 points per game. They rank 17th by shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 23rd at 32.5 percent from beyond the arc.
A major reason is Williams’ shortcomings as a shooter and Joe Johnson’s similar struggles. Johnson has posted an equally underwhelming slash line of .392/.361/.829.
With Johnson continuing to struggle, that makes it all the more important for Williams to step up as a scorer. Unfortunately the wrist injury is preventing Williams from doing so and thus neutralizing an elite perimeter tandem.
A Scattered 28
During the 2010-’11 and 2011-’12 NBA seasons, Deron Williams missed a total of 28 games. This has come over six different periods of time in which Williams has missed multiple games of play.
In other words, Williams has missed extended periods of time throughout each of these past two seasons due to consistent minor injuries.
Sidelining him early in the season and planning his minutes cautiously could lead to a full recovery, which his team could greatly benefit from.
If they don’t, Williams’ poor shooting could continue and the Nets will inevitably suffer.
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The highly anticipated matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks ended in a 96-89 overtime win for the Nets.
The two teams met for the first time in the new Nets’ team history in front of a sold out crowd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The crowd was electrifying and the game had a playoff feel.
Nets’ point guard Deron Williams scored 16 points, six rebounds and had 14 assists, a team-high that matched the Knicks’ team total in that category. Nets’ center Brook Lopez recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
On the other side, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony led both teams with 35 points and 13 rebounds. Knicks center Tyson Chandler also recorded a double-double by scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 boards.
During the postgame press conference, Williams spoke about the heated rivalry between the Nets and Knicks, the benefits of having a player like Jerry Stackhouse on the team and what it feels like to be in first place.
In the comment below, let us know which team YOU root for: Knicks or Nets?
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Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams, who has been playing through a litany of minor injuries lately, revealed he sprained a joint in his right shooting wrist while bracing a fall in Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Big-stage” Deron Williams, as dubbed by his coach, put the Nets on his back and ran by the Knicks. He was the leader the Nets envisioned when they inked him as their franchise, $98 million player over the summer, picking up as many assists (14) as the entire Knick squad in Monday’s 96-89 overtime victory.
Brook Lopez is already putting together the best season of his young career in terms of points per game, field-goal percentage and field goals made, and all of that suggests that he’s ready to make the jump towards “elite” status.
Lopez is averaging 19.4 points per game this season on 56 percent shooting for the Brooklyn Nets. He’s taken 14.9 field goal attempts per game, making 8.3 of them.
He’s been extremely efficient on the offensive end. This has made him a favorite asset of point guard Deron Williams.
The chemistry between the two is growing each and every game, though there’s already good chemistry there. Just look here at this pick-and-roll between the two.
Williams and Lopez execute that to perfection on a nightly basis. This consistency is just one thing that has propelled Lopez into the “elite” discussion.
Another aspect of his game that is actually helping him is his rebounding.
No, his numbers aren’t the greatest. He’s pulled down just 6.0 rebounds per game this season, 1.8 of which have been offensive rebounds. Even still, he’s getting good position under the paint. He’s just getting a little out-worked.
Not on this play, however. Lopez gets decent position on the defender when going up for an offensive rebound, but it’s his persistence and hustle that gets him this great put-back layup.
Even without great position for rebounds, the NBA‘s elite big men can grab the ball from whatever position they’re in.
Dwight Howard averaged 14.5 rebounds per game last season with the Orlando Magic, leading the NBA. While he had good positioning on most of them, even he couldn’t perform a perfect box-out for every rebound.
It was his hustle that got him those boards.
It’s impossible to be amongst the game’s elite at any position without confidence. Lopez is playing more confidently this season than he has in the past, and that’s showing in his production on the court.
Just take a look at this compilation of Williams’ and Lopez’s games against the Boston Celtics last week. Lopez was demanding the ball in the paint and taking tough turn-around hook shots with defenders in his face.
You don’t do those things without confidence.
This newfound confidence of Lopez’s will be a huge factor in establishing himself as an elite big man in the NBA.
Lopez is in line to have a career season with the new-look Brooklyn Nets in 2012-13. He may even earn himself a berth in the All-Star game if he keeps this type of play up.
*All statistics as of Saturday, November 24
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Chris Paul and Deron Williams took the blame for recent defeats by their respective teams.
About a year ago, back when it was assumed that Dwight Howard would leave the Orlando Magic as a free agent in the summer of 2012, the Brooklyn Nets were the odds-on favorite to land his services. Along with point guard Deron Williams, Howard would have given the Nets a championship-level two-star core. It didn’t hurt that Howard and Williams were friends who had played together on the 2008 Team USA Olympic gold-medal winners in Beijing.
Then Howard and the Magic’s long “will they or won’t they?” process began, which made the Nets’ choice to wait for Howard in perpetuity a difficult process. They moved on, added different players, and forged a different future. Unfortunately, that also spelled the end of the potential partnership between Howard and Williams. Would they remain friends? Could they, after such heartbreak?
Deron, for his part, says he’s happy that things worked out well for Dwight with the Lakers. But Dwight says he doesn’t care if Deron is mad at him. From Stefan Bondy for the New York Daily News (via SLAM ):
