Deron Williams had a really good 12-year NBA career, where he received three All-Star selections and two All-NBA team nods. He was a point guard known to perform well in the clutch, but he had some hiccups as well.
In Game 2 of the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals, Williams went scoreless the entire game after going 0-for-9 from the field in 36 minutes of playing time as his Brooklyn Nets fell to the defending champions, the Miami Heat.
His subpar scoring performance reportedly earned the criticism of the late Kobe Bryant, something the Nets point guard would not hear about until months after the playoff series.
And when he did, Williams explained his mindset and the philosophy he had always held as a point guard, irked with the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s remarks while highlighting a key difference between him and the Black Mamba.
Kobe said Williams “psyched” himself out
Going for a three-peat, the Miami Heat gave Brooklyn its toughest challenge yet in the second round. The Nets were clearly outmatched by Miami and their infamous Big Three of prime LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. So, the series ended as many expected – with the Heat on top.
Williams averaged 11.2 points on a dismal 36.7 percent shooting from the field, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in five games. Clearly, D-Will struggled with scoring throughout the series, with his field goal attempts and makes hitting their lowest in Game 2 (0-for-9).
In an article by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard, Gotham Chopra, the director of the 2015 documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse,” claimed that Kobe made critical remarks, taking Williams’ measly attempts as a sign of mental weakness.
“I was like, ‘Can you believe Deron Williams went 0-9?’ Kobe was like, ‘I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9.’ 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game, because Deron Williams can get more shots in the game. The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself,” Chopra said.
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William’s point guard mentality
After their disappointing second-round exit, the Nets had to watch Miami go on to the Finals, where it surrendered its title to the San Antonio Spurs. But Williams understood that there’s no sense in dwelling on the past.
So, he put it behind him and focused on preparing for the new season. However, during the Nets’ training camp for the 2014-2015 season, the media hounded him for a response to Kobe’s comments. Fed up with the outside noise, a seemingly salty Deron finally broke his silence and answered back, explaining why he did not force shots during the game.
“I’m a point guard,” Williams said. “If I’m 0-for-f—king-9, I’m not shooting 20 more shots. Not going to happen. I’m a point guard. I’m going to find somebody else.”
Williams was indeed surrounded by solid scoring talent during the 2014 semifinals series. They had an aging Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson, both elite scorers in isolation. Pierce averaged 14.0 points, while Iso Joe had 20.2 points per game in the series. Although Williams was right in a sense, the Nets would have probably fared better in the series if he had taken more shots.
Admittedly, D-Will agreed to some of Bryant’s criticism about his mental preparation and his confidence struggles, but stood by his approach on offense, where their perspectives differed.
“I psyched myself out of a lot of games last year,” Williams said. “Kobe Bryant, that’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s got that mentality. That works for him, I got my mentality, it works for me.”
Whether Bryant did make those remarks about Williams or not, one thing remained clear: Kobe’s “Mamba Mentality” is not for everyone and Williams knew he did not need to adopt it during the 2014 playoffs.
Regardless, the Nets’ losing the series didn’t necessarily prove Bryant right. It simply showed that D-Will knew his identity and role as a point guard – and he chose to remain true to it.
Especially in an era where it was still expected for point guards to be pass-first.
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