Deron Williams appeared in 64 games last season for the Nets, but his ongoing ankle issues limited him at times, and only allowed him to do so much.
Williams had offseason surgery on both ankles, with a bone chip being removed from the right, and an arthroscopic cleanout being done to remove bone spurs from the left. He was expected to be ready in time for the start of training camp, but it appears as though he’s already back in action.
The caption reads as follows:
@dwill8 been getting it in.. #Handles #GettingRight #ComeBackSeason #Gr8ness #KeepSleeping #GoingToBeAProblem #PuttingInThatWork #OneMonthTillCamp #Brooklyn #Nets #Hungry #JustTheBeginning
Incoming Nets head coach Lionel Hollins said Friday that Williams getting his confidence back will be key in whether or not he can regain his previous All-Star form next season.
From Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com:“There’s a lot of different things you can do [as a coach],” Lionel Hollins said Friday. “I can’t say right here that I’m going to walk in there and tell Deron Williams this or that, because I don’t even know where he is from that perspective [a confidence perspective] at this moment.
“But I think first of all he has to be healthy and he has to be in great shape and we’re going to try to put him in a situation where he can flourish, which will give him confidence and go from there. I mean confidence comes and goes with all players no matter how good they are. I don’t think there’s ever been a player that’s played and didn’t have a confidence issue at some point maybe in a game, maybe in a season.”
Being able to get back to basketball ahead of schedule will only help in that regard.
[via NetsDaily]