Deron Williams Says His Struggles are Mostly Mental

17 points per game, 8.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 38.8% shooting from the field. Those are the worst numbers that Deron Williams has put up since his second year in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets’ point guard says the problem is largely mental with him. Per the NY Daily News: “People around Deron Williams keep telling him that he’s going to snap out of his slump, that he’s too good to be this bad and he shouldn’t stop hoisting jumpers. Williams, however, has exhausted all explanations for what has become his three-season romance with inefficiency. ‘I think it’s mostly mental with me. It’s become mental,’ Williams said recently. ‘I’ve tried getting up extra shots, I’ve tried not shooting so I don’t think about it. I tried shooting before games, not shooting before games, so I hopefully I snap out of it.’ […] He’s the marketed star for Brooklyn, the one with the giant billboard greeting drivers crossing the Manhattan Bridge. He has the television commercial, the Sports Illustrated cover, the video game, the $100 million contract, the deserved image of a wholesome family man with two Olympic championships. But the 28-year-old has often conceded the offense to either Brook Lopez or Joe Johnson, depending on the quarter. When Williams’ number was called in crunch time the last two games, he twice missed shots that could have either tied the game or won it. Johnson saved him with clutch shooting in Friday’s double-overtime win over the Pistons. Nobody could save Brooklyn during its collapse during an 83-82 loss to the Bulls on Saturday, when Williams missed six of his final seven shots. The Nets (13-10) have dropped six of their last eight games, falling below their expectations and further behind the surging Knicks (18-5). ‘We’re not going to blame the inconsistency on (injuries),’ Williams said. ‘I don’t know what the reason is.'”