After making three consecutive All-Star games, Deron Williams had grown accustomed to being part of that elite group. Now, for the second straight year, the Nets’ often-injured guard will be on the outside looking in.
For Williams, the past season-and-a-half has been maddening. It’s not missing Sunday’s game that galls him, but being robbed of his former star form by injury.
Nevertheless, Williams said he can get back to that level — and the Nets know they need him to in order to get to where they want to go in the playoffs.
“I just want to get healthy again, man. If I get healthy, I know what can happen,’’ Williams said after Tuesday’s practice, as Brooklyn prepared to play host to the Bobcats on Wednesday. “It’s been a frustrating two years for me injury-wise. It’s something I can’t really control. Hopefully I can figure it out this summer and then go from there.’’
A dozen spots on the last two All-Star rosters went to nine different point guards, and it was sobering to the Nets’ franchise player he hasn’t been among them.
Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo — who didn’t play — all made the squad last year. John Wall, Steph Curry and Damian Lillard replaced Westbrook, Holiday and Rondo for this weekend. That doesn’t even include Chicago’s injured superstar Derrick Rose.
“Yeah, I think that there’s so many talented players in this league, so you’re not given that automatic bid,’’ coach Jason Kidd said. “With some of the injuries that he’s had early on, for us it’s a matter of him playing well, going on from here and into the playoffs; and next season we’ll worry about the All-Star Game.
“But right now it’s just a matter of him getting better each time he’s taking the floor and he’s done that.’’
Williams has suffered from nagging ankle injuries since the 2012 London Olympics, suffered a bone spur before last season that caused inflammation and eventually forced him to have cortisone shots, platelet-rich plasma treatments and a three-day juice cleanse right before the All-Star break.
He suffered a bone bruise while working out in Utah this past offseason, causing him to miss training camp, 11 of 12 games from Nov. 22 through Dec. 7, and five more in January. Williams knocked knees against the Spurs on Thursday, another injury that had him wearing a sleeve in Sunday’s win over New Orleans.
Still, Williams, who received platelet rich plasma treatments last month, has slowly but inexorably played his way back to health, and the results have been undeniable. Just as he went on a tear after getting the treatments last season — averaging 22.9 points and eight assists after the break — he’s hoping for similar results.
Averaging just 9.3 points on 40.5 percent shooting when he was sidelined for the first time this season, Williams watched his Nets stumble to a 6-14 record. But since his Dec. 10 return against Boston, he has averaged 14.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting while the Nets have gone 17-12.
“He’s definitely an All-Star in our eyes,” Joe Johnson said. “On this team, with so much talent, with so many guys who’ve been to All-Star games, I think for him he just wants to get healthy to where he can get back to his stardom form. We need him to lead us as a team. And for us to be pretty good, he has to be ready.’’