Brooklyn Nets rookie coach Jason Kidd has high hopes for his team this season and even greater ones for star point guard Deron Williams.
Widely considered one of the best point guards to ever play the game, the Hall of Fame bound Kidd told the New York Daily News he sees a lot of himself in the veteran Williams and plans “to push him to get back to double-digit assists.”
“I want the best for him,” Kidd told The News. “When we sit down and talk about goals, team goals and also individual goals, I’m going to push him.”
Williams once averaged 10 assists or more in four straight seasons but now hasn’t reached that number since the 2010-11 season. Last season’s 7.7 assists per game was his lowest output since he was a rookie.
Williams was bothered by an inflamed ankle much of last season and Kidd told The News he is hoping a return to good health will aid the eight-year veteran in returning to top form. Over his career, Williams has averaged 19 points and nine assists.
“You don’t want to take away from Deron’s freedom and creativity of putting pressure on the defense,” Kidd told the newspaper. “His strength is when he’s in the open court. So we’ll definitely talk about that on the daily, about him making things happen without having to set the ball up.”
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