Deron Williams Must Drive the Brooklyn Nets' Feeble Playoffs Hopes

As the 2015 NBA playoffs get underway Saturday, Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams is an afterthought in the “potential hero” category. Yet if the eighth-seeded Nets are going to pull off a near-miraculous upset of the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, Williams must be the one to lead them.

It’s both cruel and cliche to single out Williams’ play at this point. His transition from potential MVP candidate to frustrating enigma to overpaid underachiever to league-wide punching bag is by all accounts now complete. And it has been the primary topic of conversation surrounding the Nets this week.

First, former teammate and current Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce took a shot during a conversation with ESPN.com’s Jackie MacMullan:

"

Before I got there, I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate. But I felt once we got there, that's not what he wanted to be. He just didn't want that.

I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York, so that can wear on some people. I think it really affected him.

"

Then it was TNT analyst Reggie Miller’s turn during a conversation with WFAN host Mike Francesa (h/t New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy):

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The most important position in the game today is the point guard position. And if you can't get that out of your point guard - because that's the coach on the floor. That's the guy that has to get everyone rallying in the right position. So if your point guard is not demanding and is not accountable and is holding everyone else accountable, your team is going to struggle. That's why Brooklyn has struggled because Deron Williams - not only has he not held himself accountable, he's not holding anybody on the floor accountable as well.

"

Williams’ response during media availability to Pierce’s comments was significant and revealing.

“I’m not bothered at all, Williams said, via Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. "Being here, I’ve got thick skin. He has his opinions, and that’s fine. I can’t change his opinions, so we’ll leave it at that.”

The last line is telling. There’s a massive jump from acknowledging and dismissing someone’s opinion to saying you can’t change his or her view. Williams almost comes across defeated.

Whether fair or not, that’s become the prevailing perception of Williams. When things get tough, he wilts.

Against the Hawks, Williams won’t be able to hide.

According to Bondy, head coach Lionel Hollins has already made his strategy clear.

Stopping penetration means keeping All-Star point guard Jeff Teague under control.

The Hawks own one of the league’s best run and fluid offenses, ranking sixth in efficiency and second in assist ratio, according to Hollinger Team Statistics. Keeping track of Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver is a challenge for any team, one that becomes nearly impossible if Teague is allowed to break down the defense.

Getting the better of Teague will be a difficult task for Williams. The Hawks guard is lightning quick with the ball, and per the NBA’s official statistics, nearly 60 percent of his shots come from below the free-throw line. Williams struggled to defend drive situations this season, allowing opponents to shoot 11.1 percent better than average within six feet of the basket.

Perhaps more concerning for the Nets is Williams’ lack of offense down the stretch. During the regular season, Williams' win/loss splits were drastic:

	Games	PPG	FG%	APG	TOPG
Wins	34	14.4	42.1	7.2	1.9
Losses	34	11.6	35.1	6.0	2.6

Over the last four games, with his team in dire straits, Williams went missing, averaging eight points per contest on 23.4 percent shooting from the floor.

Beyond that, Brooklyn needs its point guard to fill the leadership void left by Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Center Brook Lopez might be the team's best player, but it's Williams who must take the series by the scruff of its neck.

Despite three consecutive trips to the postseason, no one doubts Williams’ time with the Nets hasn’t been easy. It isn’t so much that things didn’t go according to plan, it was that so often it looked like the script was being written by Lemony Snicket. Injuries, a succession of coaches and a poor approach to roster construction by management sucked the juice right out of the franchise.

None of that should matter now against the Hawks. This is the playoffs, and Williams will have help. Guard Joe Johnson will look to sting his former team, and Lopez is once again performing like an All-Star.

Still, if the Nets are going to put a scare in Atlanta, it will have to start with Williams. There’s a reason the Hawks won 22 more games than the Nets during the regular season. They’re the better team, and they’re going to push Brooklyn around.

Will Williams at last fight back?