Williams is a max level player and will make $19.7 million in the 2014-2015 season.
He needs to:
Get and stay healthy. Williams underwent surgery on both ankles in late May and should be ready for training camp in the fall. Since joining the Nets, Williams has missed 45 games.
In the future:
With the report that Williams no longer wants to play for the Nets, this complicates things. He's extremely pricey and is coming off of another surgery. However, when healthy, he has the ability to be one of the league's best point guards. When he returns, he should regain some of the explosiveness that won him praise in Utah. In 2012, Williams mentioned that he needed surgery, but received cortisone injections and kept playing. When he does return, he should look to become more assertive on offense.
Grade: C-
This is tricky. If this were any other player, 14 points and six assists with above average marks in PER and win shares would be pretty good. Of course, Deron Williams isn't "any other player" and comes with a much higher set of expectations. Like Romy mentioned, Williams' predicament is similar to Howard's year in Los Angeles. Star player dealing with injuries and the pressure of having to guide his team to championship contention. And like Howard did in the 2013 playoffs, Williams flamed out against the team that represented his conference in the NBA Finals.
I was originally going to give Williams a D, but I thought that would have been a bit unfair considering he played the season on two bad ankles. He technically wasn't bad, but Williams isn't paid to be "not bad." A C- is a fair compromise, but he needs to improve and fast. Time's running out.
