Deron Williams pins Nets' struggles on lack of ball movement

After starting out the season with a 4-2 record, the Brooklyn Nets have dropped three straight contests by a combined 26 points.

The repeated disappointments had Nets point guard Deron Williams searching for answers, to which he found the team's lack of ball movement to be at fault.

"I think that's a big problem," Williams told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "This team, this system, the way we want to play, we should have 25 assists, not in the teens. Simple as that. If we're moving the ball, sharing the ball - if you look at our wins, we've passed the ball relatively well."

Through nine games, the Nets sit 25th in the league with 19.1 assists per game. Player tracking data from NBA.com underscores the problem, as the Nets make the seventh fewest passes per game.

For his part, Williams isn't at fault, as he currently ranks seventh in passes per game, though he ranks just 16th in assists per game. This discrepancy points to a failure of his teammates to make good on the looks he's creating.

The problem, as Williams illustrates, is with the Nets' backups.

"Sometimes we sub and get guys in there who aren't as effective at running the offense," Williams said.

Specifically, backup point guard Jarrett Jack has been particularly stingy in terms of dishing the rock. Williams is passing at a rate of 1.8 per minute, while Jack lags behind at just 1.3 per minute. As a result, Jack is averaging just 2.6 assists per game.