Nets coach Lionel Hollins said that his point guard Deron Williams is a solid player, but shouldn't be expected to be a franchise player any longer.
"He's not a franchise player anymore," Hollins said during his exit interview Saturday morning, per ESPN. "He's a good player, he's a solid player, but I don't think he's a franchise player anymore. That's just my opinion. He's a good player. I'm proud of the way he's bounced back and played, and there's so much pressure on him to be a franchise player, and everybody talks about a franchise player, but we need to have a franchise team.
"That means we have everybody going out there and playing hard, playing together, sharing the ball. If a guy is open, he makes a shot. If a guy is not open, he passes to another guy and he makes the shot. To me, that's what basketball is about. It's not about a franchise player. I mean, those guys come along once in a lifetime, and everybody doesn't get a chance to coach one. When you don't have one, you can't say you can't win. There are teams that have won championships without franchise players, what everyone considers a franchise player. I'm not worried about that. That's something you guys talk about and worry about. I worry about us going out there and playing hard, playing together and trying to scratch and claw to win a game. That's what it's all about."
This isn't the first time Williams has been criticized for his inconsistent play and his injury-riddled run with the Nets over the past three seasons. Future Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce spoke candidly back in April about his disastrous season with Williams and the Nets a year ago, calling it "horrible."
"Before I got there, I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate," Pierce said in an ESPN interview with Jackie MacMullan. "But I felt once we got there, that's not what he wanted to be. He just didn't want that. ... I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York."
Williams lost his starting role to Jarrett Jack from late December to early February this season while he recovered from a rib injury. He also dealt with a severe case of tendinitis throughout the season and finished his 2014-15 campaign averaging a career-worst 13.0 points, 6.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 68 games (55 starts).
The Nets entered the postseason as an eighth seed and were bounced out of the first round by Atlanta. Williams was held to only 11.8 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from the field in the series.
