For Jordan Williams, his rookie year can best be described as a Tale of Two Seasons.
When the Maryland product arrived at Nets training camp following the lockout, he was out of shape and overweight. That proved to be a serious problem, as he wound up suffering through a bout of dehydration that postponed the start of his season into January.
That, in turn, soon led to Williams being sent to the Nets’ D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, for a chance to get off the bench and get some playing time – both to see what the rookie could do, and to try and get him into better shape.
To his credit, Williams took the demotion in stride.
“I was taught to take every situation and roll with it,” Williams told The Post before scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his debut, a 92-90 win over Maine, on Jan. 19. “I’m excited to be here, and to play.”
After performing well for Springfield, Williams got another shot with the Nets and became a different player. As the injuries continued to mount and the Nets hopes for a playoff spot faded out of focus, Williams got more and more opportunities to prove himself.
And, when he did, he took advantage of the opportunities. After the All-Star break, Williams saw his minutes nearly double (10.2 to 18.4), his points per game double (2.9 to 5.9) and his field goal percentage dramatically increase (41.3 to 54.7).
It was that improvement that led Johnson to give Williams the team’s Most Improved Player Award at a full team dinner in Milwaukee during the last week of the season.
“Its huge, man, especially given where I came from,” Williams told The Post afterwards. “It’s hard to really talk about it, because I came a really long way from where I was early in the season.”
The question now for Williams is what comes next. After his early season struggles, he proved that, at worst, he’s capable of playing in short bursts off the bench as a backup big man. He also showed that the rebounding ability that led him to be one of the nation’s leading rebounders in his two seasons at Maryland hasn’t deserted him, either.
Williams will have another chance to prove himself again this summer with the Nets Summer League team, after missing the chance to play there a year ago because of the lockout. But, ultimately, his role next season will likely depend on how the Nets summer dip into free agency goes.
If Deron Williams returns, accompanied by several veterans, Williams will likely be relegated to a minor bench role. But, if Deron Williams doesn’t return and the Nets struggle to attract free agents, he could see his playing time dramatically increase. Either way, expect to see more of him, and on a more consistent basis, next season after the strong finish to his rookie year.
Jordan Williams 2011-12 statistics (all per game averages)
Games: 43
Minutes: 14:48
Points: 4.6
Rebounds: 3.6
Assists: 0.3
Steals: 0.5
Blocks: 0.3
Field Goal Percentage: 50.7
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: 0.0
Free Throw Percentage: 65.2
Performance Efficiency Rating: 14.53
tbontemps@nypost.com