Deron Williams has been suffering from ankle soreness since the Olympics this past summer. The Brooklyn Nets point guard has been forced to miss games this season due to the injury that is still ongoing. In an effort to recover, Williams has been receiving cortisone shots to try and heal the injury, however they do not seem to be helping. Williams told the media Friday that he just received his third round of shots on Thursday and will probably have to get another set of shots before the playoffs begin.
Williams received his first set of shots back in late October, prior to the NBA season beginning and then received his second set in late December. The team had not previously revealed the second and third set of cortisone shots until Friday.
"I've gotten frustrated some nights where I can't do anything, can't go anywhere and it's frustrating and that's how you want to think, but I can't do that," Williams said.
Williams revealed he has been suffering with his ankles since before the Olympics began and then the injury really flared up during the second day of training camp with the U.S. men's basketball team. The injury was originally blamed on Williams being out of shape, something he denies being true.
The first set of cortisone shots were to ease inflammation in his left ankle which was caused from a bone spur. Williams does not believe a bone spur is what is the cause of the injury now. He underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy on Feb. 11 in an effort to help the injury.
Williams has still been a huge asset to the Nets despite the injuries. He only missed two games prior to the All-Star break, despite saying that playing in back-to-back games is hard on him. Williams is in the first year of a five-year, $98 million dollar contract.
There is a chance Williams will have to have offseason surgery on his ankles, but he is hoping that is not the case. Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo understands Williams might not be 100 percent the rest of the season. The team will be monitoring his minutes closely and hope to rest him before the postseason begins.
