NBA

Nets Rewind: Deron Williams getting sharper

Here are my three thoughts on the Nets’ 104-88 victory over the Jazz in Brooklyn on Tuesday night:

1. There has been plenty of chatter about the health status of Deron Williams through the first four games of the season after he spent virtually the entire preseason sitting out recovering from a sprained right ankle. But while Williams is still working his way back into playing shape in the opening days of the regular season (he still hasn’t played more than 27 minutes in a game), there’s still a lot to like about the way he’s playing.

With all of the talent the Nets have assembled around Williams, coach Jason Kidd has repeatedly referred to Williams as the team’s “engine” throughout the preseason. So far, he’s playing like it. Despite averaging just 25 minutes, Williams has had at least seven assists in all four games and is averaging an even eight assists per night. Though his overall shooting percentage is a little low (41.3 percent), he’s knocking down 40 percent of his 3-pointers, a number that speaks to how much open space the Nets have on offense because of the wealth of options on the floor.

Williams still hasn’t shown a lot of the explosive burst that returned to his game in the second half of last season, but it’s too early to worry about that, considering he hasn’t even been playing in games for two weeks. As Williams ramps up his minutes — he was on pace to break 30 minutes for the first time this season before the Nets blew out the Jazz for good in the third quarter and shut down their starters for the entire fourth quarter — it seems reasonable to expect more burst to return.

2. Along with their lackadaisical effort in Orlando on Sunday, the biggest criticism to come from Kidd and the Nets’ players in regards to their performance against the Magic was their willingness to settle for jump shots.

After taking over half their shots in Sunday’s loss from at least 16 feet from the basket, including 17 3-pointers, the Nets tried just 11 triples against the Jazz and spent the game hammering the ball into the paint. Brook Lopez was the prime beneficiary, finishing with 27 points after scoring 19 in the first half, but the Nets combined to score 58 points in the paint, using their size advantage at nearly every position to hammer the Jazz down low.

The Nets took exactly half their shots at the rim on Tuesday, making over two-thirds, and took 50 from inside of 16 feet. Though it would be a bit more efficient to take more 3-pointers and fewer mid-range jumpers, the biggest focus for them has to be using their size and getting to the rim. Tuesday’s game showed just how beneficial that can be.

3. With the first back-to-back of the season approaching this weekend — the Nets play in Washington on Friday before coming home to face the Pacers on Saturday — it will be interesting to see how Kidd handles his roster, specifically Kevin Garnett.

It’s the first time the much-discussed plan for the Nets to hold Garnett out of one-half of back-to-backs can come into play. Given how Kidd has handled Garnett, it wouldn’t be surprising if Garnett doesn’t make the trip to the nation’s capital — or if he doesn’t get off the bench if he does.

What has stood out about the way Kidd and his coaching staff have handled this roster is how committed they’ve been to holding down everyone’s minutes. After Lopez played close to 34 minutes in last week’s season opener in Cleveland, I asked Kidd if that was where he wanted Lopez, or if he would consider jumping him up to 36 or so minutes a game.

Kidd’s response? That number was already a couple of minutes too high. If that’s the way he’s looking at his 25-year-old center, you can only imagine how conscious he’s being of his 37-year-old power forward’s time on the floor.

Kidd has taken out Garnett at almost the same times each night, regardless of the situation in each game. Because the Nets were cruising through Tuesday night’s win over Utah, Kidd was able to limit Garnett to only 13:36, and Garnett has played only 88 minutes through the first four games.

The Nets’ hopes to make a deep playoff run hinge on keeping Garnett and the rest of their veterans healthy and fresh for May and June. Kidd is managing to do just that, with Lopez leading the way with 28 minutes a game. But given all the talk about the Garnett maintenance program during the preseason, expect it to be a hot topic as this week progresses.