Tuesday, December 18th, 2012 at 9:00 am  |  137 responses

Deron Williams Blames Avery Johnson’s System for Struggles


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

A deeply frustrated Deron Williams is searching everywhere for answers.

The Brooklyn Nets’ star point guard, putting up the worst numbers since his second year in the NBA, has gone from saying his issues are mostly mental, to blaming his head coach for his struggles.

According to D-Will, currently averaging 17 points, 8.3 assists and only shooting 38.8% from the field, Avery Johnson’s offense hasn’t helped his game. Williams says he prefers the system Jerry Sloan ran in Utah.

Per the NY Times:

Since coming to the Northeast, he has eroded in nearly every facet of his game. His scoring has declined, and his shooting percentages have plummeted. [...] Injuries may be partly to blame. But as the Nets prepared to host the Jazz on Tuesday, Williams listed another factor: the playbook. “That system was a great system for my style of play,” Williams said of the “flex” offense run by Utah Coach Jerry Sloan. “I’m a system player. I love Coach Sloan’s system. I loved the offense there.”

Williams was widely blamed for Sloan’s sudden retirement in February 2011, just before the Jazz traded Williams to the Nets. And his openly pining for Sloan’s system could be viewed as subtle criticism of Coach Avery Johnson’s offense. Williams did nothing to discourage that interpretation when he was asked to compare the offense used by the Nets with the one he ran in Utah. “Is it as good as there? No,” he said. “There’s just more one-on-one and isos” in Johnson’s offense.

Shots fired!

While saying that he will eventually adjust to the Nets’ iso-heavy system, Deron Williams added that in both high school and college, his teams ran motion offenses that featured plenty of movement which allowed him to thrive.

Avery Johnson thinks time is on Deron Williams’ side and that he will snap out of his funk. And though that may very well be the case, there’s no denying that things will be considerably more tense in Brooklyn going forward.

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  • RKJ92

    This is a good look, I never felt DWill was a superstar once, no matter what anybody had said to me in the past!! and I said even when he gets a good team he wont play well.. this is just case in point, and for all the people who disagreed with me all I have to say is lol! i’m right and your wrong :) not a superstar!! he couldn’t carry a beanie baby

  • Anthony Dixon

    lol, the season isn’t over yet. The Miami Heat took a while to gel so it will take him a while also.

  • Batman

    i thought dwill will be the 1 pg on the league for 5-6 years. he was so dominant when he was on the utah jazz. well, thats life.

  • Anthony Dixon

    The dwill hater will come out now but the season has just started and they have a winning record. He should have just kept quiet but w.e

  • theDankerNuggets

    I don’t know if this is what Avery Johnson has always used for his offense but it doesn’t seem very smart to me. We have all seen how far Iso-Joe can take a team, i think if this team wants to ultimately win a championship your going to have to try to utilize all your players in some kind of system,not give the ball to one player over and over at the top of the key and clear out for him.

  • Datkid

    but one of the reasons he supposedly wanted to leave utah was bc of the off-nvm smh

  • http://twitter.com/mcruz7 Miguel Cruz

    Dwill = Pig!!

  • shockexchange

    “The coach can’t coach.” How original. It just goes to show you how the power has shifted from the teams/coaches to the players. DWill just lost all kinds of respect from the Shock Exchange.

  • roscoe

    dwill should have said,

    “we have to work harder, trust each other more, and play better as a team.”

  • TV63

    Quit your whining Williams! You wanna trade coaches? Have Bryon Scott as your coach; then you have something to cry about. We in Cleveland would love to have your coach anyday, anytime.

  • The Fury

    Clearly, Deron is not a superstar point guard most of us thought here. Because superstars can ADAPT to changes. Adjust your game and you will succeed. Damn, such a primadonna. If you’re good you’re good.

  • north

    First he whines himself out of Utah and Sloan out of a job… not he’s trying to do the same in Brooklyn and to Johnson. The guy is an overrated cry baby. I pity the fans that have to deal with him being their “franchise player”.

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Sanchez

    Lol Com’on now. He’s aint THE STAR. But he’s up there. He aint that basic

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Sanchez

    He did Sloan dirty too. That’s why Karl Malone don’t mess with him

  • north

    That’s actually not Avery’s offense but it’s clear that Williams doesn’t even know. If you watch the games it’s not ISO, it’s an inside out game with the guards swinging it on the perimeter and looking for holes. Marshon Brooks figured it out last season which is why his numbers were so good. Joe and Deron just don’t get it.

  • pposse

    haha D Will showing his true colors

  • RKJ92

    I never said dude was BASIC 8.3 assists is great! but Damian Lillard a ROOKIE is putting up better numbers then Deron Williams a so called superstar.. like how does that look? you take away a good coach like Sloan and Deron Williams is nothing just ask CARLOS BOOZER about that :D

  • RKJ92

    Saying that about the Lakers too? lol…

  • RKJ92

    THANK YOU!!

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    he didn’t say that tho

  • RKJ92

    Looooooooolllllll!! ya okayyy there…. you actually for one moment thought he would dethrone Chris Paul!? what were you on!?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    you do realize Deron Williams has led a team to the conference finals before right? the guy is a top 5 PG when everything in his head is right. but obviously, right now, it isn’t.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Deron Williams said absolutely nothing negative about Avery Johnson in this entire thing. Actually read it before you go over reacting.

  • MikeC.

    They’re struggling with the inside-out game now. No Lopez = no inside game. DWill should blame the medical staff.

  • RKJ92

    No.. I’m right on point.. Damian Lillard a rookie is outplaying Deron Williams case shut and closed.. thx.

  • RKJ92

    Ya ONCE nbk Con-f*cking-gratz so has Zach Randolph LOL let’s not go there.. :)

  • pposse

    so when he is asked if Avery’s system is as good as Sloan’s in Utah and he says “No” thats not saying anything negative about Avery? #dillusional

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Sanchez

    Damian Lillard is the truth! I been saying that for a while now lol

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    No he hasn’t.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    no it isn’t. it’s saying Sloan’s system is better. If i tell you i know more about basketball then you, am i insulting you? or am i saying something that is probably true?
    .
    same thing.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    and it’s DELUSIONAL. if you are going to try and insult someone and use an absolutely pointless #. Spell the word right. you look #stupid.

  • RKJ92

    OOPS I THOUGHT IT SAID CONF SEMI LOL LET ME JUST GRAB MY GUN NOW :D

  • RKJ92

    YA HE’S NICEEEE ONCE HE LEARNS HOW TO SHOOT MORE EFFICIENTLY RAISE HIS ASSISTS A BIT MORE HE WILL BE LEGIT

  • RKJ92

    PEW PEW… :’D

  • Datkid

    agreed. Atlanta had plenty of talent(although it was kind of mismatched) and Iso-joe stunted their potential and growth as a team.

  • Datkid

    true

  • Datkid

    lmao what’s your point? they’ll gel eventually too.

  • Datkid

    Zach randolph’s arguably a top 5 PF when healthy… what’s wrong with that lmao

  • Datkid

    lmaoooo what on earth why do you hate D.will dog?

  • niQ

    fwiw, he sure has played the blame game a lot. He definitely misses Sloan’s flex offense though.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rainman1991 Saleem Rainman

    Well if u loved his system so much, maybe you shouldnt have ran one of the greatest coaches in history outta town, jackass.

  • shockexchange

    That’s what the Shock Exchange heard.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rainman1991 Saleem Rainman

    If u dont think the Lakers will gel, and think that what u see right now is what u get…ur crazy.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    so the Shock Exchange has a hearing problem?

  • shockexchange

    Yeah, he gave Sloan that “back talk” also. The Shock Exchange thinks (i) DWill wanted out of Utah, and (ii) acted exasperated with Sloan’s system to make it politically correct for him to leave. That way, he avoided the public backlash that LeBron and D12 got for leaving for greener pastures. The Shock Exchange sees you DWill.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rainman1991 Saleem Rainman

    And i see you, shockexchange

  • pposse

    why would you say that about a system your head coach runs? what good comes out of saying that Jerry Sloan system is better than Avery’s? It might be true, but its a disloyal thing to say, hence a negative thing to say, hence you are #DELUSIONAL if you can’t comprehend the that there was a negative connotation in regards to his remarks to the public about his coach and team system.

  • shockexchange

    No, the Shock Exchange can read between the lines. For instance, what nbk said: “so the Shock Exchange has a hearing problem?” What the Shock Exchange heard: “so nbk tryna catch that fiddy?”

  • Anthony Dixon

    so are you implying that damian is better?

  • RKJ92

    THIS SEASON SO FAR YES.

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