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Back in the abbreviated offseason I stated that there were few guys that I'd trade Rajon Rondo for. One of the guys that might have possibly have made sense is Deron Williams. As the year has progressed, Williams has looked the part of disgruntled superstar on a bad team that loses a lot more than he's happy with.
Something’s missing " HoopSpeak.com
Long lauded for his broad skill-set, Williams isn’t playing like a combo-guard, he’s the Nets omni-guard. He’s attempting fewer shots at the rim and more from the outside (two years ago he was taking 3.4 three-pointers per game. Right now it’s at 6.0). Almost 1/5th of all his offensive production comes when he’s using a screen off the ball, according to Synergy. This isn’t right. Deploying Deron Williams like Kyle Korver is to rip car keys from a certain wearer of white, blood-stained scorpion jackets. (Although to his credit, Williams has becoming one of the 25 most efficient scorers in this situation. He’s proven to be one of the better shooters we have, yet he can’t do it all.)
In an Associated Press game recap written at the beginning of February, the following sentence was published: "Deron Williams’ teammates fumbled a half-dozen of his passes in the first three quarters." What we’re seeing right now is a disinterested basketball player who’s passive-aggressively letting his frustrations boil out on the defensive end. I watched every single defensive pick and roll sequence Williams has participated in this season, and he almost always goes under the screen.
So there are several questions I have no answers to right now.
- Is Deron still capable of being a star with the right supporting cast? Or has he been exposed?
- If the Nets lose out on Dwight, would they deal Deron?
- If they do, would we still be willing to trade Rondo for him?
- If it gets to the offseason, would we trade Rondo elsewhere if we thought we had a shot at signing Deron?
- Putting the cart well ahead of the horse, is there a way to get Howard and Deron in Boston this offseason?