Playoff Picture: Brooklyn Nets
By Luke Duffy
Potential X-Factor
Deron Williams
When Williams is your potential x-factor, you know you’re in trouble. But now would be the perfect time for him to roll back the years and play to a high level. Injuries haven’t been kind to him which is fair enough, but that shouldn’t account for his rapid downfall.
There are few harder on Williams than myself, I rank both him and Carmelo Anthony and being the two most overrated players in the game today.
I’d love for Williams to prove me wrong though, even if it is only for one series that his team are going to lose anyway. Defensively he’s not going to give you much, but even that would be acceptable if he went hard at every point guard he faced and drop 25 on them.
His first-round matchup, Jeff Teague, represents a first time All-Star this year who isn’t even an elite point guard himself yet.
In years past, Williams would have destroyed this guy. Now though, I don’t see it happening, even if this is a kinder matchup than facing a lot of other points in the East. His 13 points and 6.6 points per game are pretty pedestrian numbers, while his Player Efficiency Rating of 15.7 is right around the league average.
Is that really good enough for a team that had title ambitions as recently as two seasons ago?
If Williams could give five more points, three more assists and bump that PER up into the high teens, I’d consider his personal postseason a success. Doing that, which is by no means impossible here, would also jump start his team and put early doubts into the minds of the Hawks. Do I think he’s capable of doing this? Absolutely. Do I think it’ll actually happen? Sadly not.
Next: Times Are Tough In Brooklyn