Hindsight is great. Everyone would have invested in Apple. New Coke never would have left the drawing board. And Nets rookie Jordan Williams would have come to training camp in something resembling shape and condition.
But he didn’t so he learned the hard way and now in the twilight of his admittedly “up-and-down” rookie season, he is trying to cram as much learning and NBA education as he can into his minutes.
“I think he’s good,” veteran teammate Gerald Wallace said. “He’s a lot like when I first came into the league. He’s like a little pup, he wants to play he wants to do everything right and he’s so anxious to get it right. He’s skilled and I see a lot of potential in him as long as he keeps working hard.”
The work thing is what Williams, who had a January stint in the D-League, had to learn. During the lockout, Williams, like so many players, rookie and veterans, used the time to do, well, not a lot. When he came to camp, he thought he was in shape. Maybe for Maryland, which he left after two years for the NBA. He gained entry to the next level when the Nets took him on the second round, No. 36, last June. So in the lockout-forced abridged training camp, he struggled and battled dehydration.
“It’s been up and down for me,” said Williams, who has been gaining more minutes — and more confidence, in himself and from the coaching staff — in recent games. Just trying to fit in anywhere I can. [I’m] just trying to make the small plays to earn minutes and pay attention to what the vets are telling me. It’s definitely been a learning year.
“A couple factors go into it, but I’m not one to make excuses,” Williams said for the early struggles. “Coming to the NBA, you know it’s the best in the world, so you can’t come expecting it to be bad competition. So I was prepared for it [while] trying to learn as much as I can from these vets and be a good teammate.”
That is what the 6-foot-10 power forward is doing. Williams has played in six of the last seven games, four with double-figure minutes. After he had eight points and three rebounds in Friday’s 93-84 loss in Atlanta, Williams had eight points, four rebounds and a steal in 19:50 in Saturday night’s 102-89 win over the Bobcats.
“It’s also just learning the game,” he said. “The more you play, the more experience you get, the more tricks and positions and openings you see. So that’s all I’m trying to do is, as I go on, learn those things.
“I’m definitely starting to get a feel for the game, just starting to learn the little things that put me in the right position. That’s all I’m trying to do: be a smart player out there.
Another Williams, All-Star Deron, said he likes what he is seeing more and more.
“I thought he played well. The rookie ran the floor hard, played well on defense didn’t make many mistakes. I thought he did just a solid job,” Deron said of Jordan after the Atlanta loss. “Coach is pretty tough on him. We’re pretty tough on him. Given the elements, I think he’s done well. He’s gotten a lot better since the beginning of the season. He came in out of shape, had to work through some things and it’s made him tougher as a person and player. So I’m definitely happy with his development.”
fred.kerber@nypost.com