7. Deron Williams – Brooklyn Nets
Time is starting to tick for Deron Williams if he is to make the jump from very good player to great player.
The three-time All Star can still take over a game and use his size to make room for himself off the dribble or get to the rim but his role as playmaker will be crucial to the Brooklyn Nets championship dreams.
A former league leader in assists, Williams has fallen away in that regard in the past three years in a Nets uniform, down to around eight a game, a drop off of two when he averaged 10.5 with the Utah Jazz from 2007-2010.
In the past Williams did not have the mouths to feed and too often had to do much of the heavy lifting himself on the offensive end.
But with the addition of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the team to go with the likes of Joe Johnson and new coach Jason Kidd, Williams should be on the rise again this year.
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