But for Williams to do so, he must overcome ankle injuries that have plagued him over the past season and in training camp.
Williams looked like a shell of himself during the first half of last season. He needed three cortisone shots in both ankles and platelet-rich plasma therapy to heal from synovitis and finish the season.
Nearly two months ago, Williams also suffered a right ankle sprain and a bone bruise, sidelining him for all but one preseason game. Since beginning the regular season, Williams has not played more than 27 minutes in any game.
“I think for Deron, this is preseason training camp,” Kidd said. “He didn’t get to do a lot in the preseason and so we have to figure out how to get him without running him out there for 35 minutes and then he can’t play the next night. This is a process and we had a process of bringing him back, it’s worked, and now we’ve got to do it through the regular season.
“I think he’s been good about that and it’s just going to take some time. We haven’t played him over 30 minutes, but there will be a point in the season where he can get there.”
Against Utah, Williams had his most efficient game of the season. He shot 4-for-6 from the field as he scored 10 points and dished out eight assists in 24 minutes.
(LOOKING FOR UTAH JAZZ TICKETS? LOOK NO FURTHER)
Kevin Garnett speaks to the media.
“I thought Deron was strong, he looked very good,” Garnett said. “I felt like he was very decisive in what he wanted to do. He kept pushing the ball and was very active in timeouts. That’s the D-Will we’re going to need throughout the year.”
After two losses to Cleveland and Orlando, Garnett had an emotional message for the team on the plane trip back to Brooklyn before facing Utah.
“We’re trying to form something here,” said Garnett. “Consistency is the difference between great teams and okay teams or teams that are good.”
That consistency has to start with Williams and will be needed on a nightly basis throughout the season.
In a league where point guards have become the dominant position with stars such as Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo, Williams will determine if Brooklyn is a title contender or just an ‘okay’ team.
Michael Scotto is a Sheridan Hoops NBA columnist. You can follow him on Twitter.
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