EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Deron Williams will undergo an MRI on both of his ankles on Friday, and the Brooklyn Nets point guard believes surgery may be a possibility. He then plans to meet with noted foot/ankle surgeon Dr. Martin O'Malley on Monday.
"I think so. I think it is," Williams said Thursday when asked about the possibility of undergoing surgery. "Just to clean [stuff out], it's nothing major."
Williams has been hindered by lingering ankle injuries for the past two seasons. He received multiple cortisone shots and platelet-rich plasma injections to ease the pain, but the problem hasn't gone away.
"I feel like I've kind of let people down, so I don't like feeling like that," Williams said. "I take my job seriously, I work hard in the offseason, I work hard every day. It's just real frustrating not to be able to play how I'm capable of playing."
This offseason, Williams is focused on getting healthy and returning to All-Star form.
"I used to step on the court and feel like I was the best player no matter who I played against, so I gotta get back to that," he said. "Even if I'm not the best player on the court, I gotta feel like I am."
In January, Williams received a cortisone shot and a PRP injection in both of his ankles. He then received a cortisone shot and an anti-inflammatory injection prior to Game 7 of the team's first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Last season, Williams received three sets of cortisone shots and a PRP injection due to inflammation in both ankles.
"I have been worried about [getting so many cortisone shots]," Williams said with a laugh. "I've had a lot."
Williams averaged just 14.3 points and 6.1 assists on 45 percent shooting in 64 games during the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 14.5 points and 5.8 assists on 39.5 percent shooting in 12 games.
Williams, who turns 30 on June 26, struggled against the Miami Heat, shooting just 1-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter of the second-round series, which went five games. He went just 8-for-21 inside the restricted area during the series and 2-for-11 on mid-range shots.
Williams still has three years and $63.1 million remaining on his contract.
"Both years have been tough on me," Williams said of the past two seasons. "I just feel like I haven't been able to play the way I want to since I've been here, really. And so it's just been tough, it's been tough to swallow, but hopefully can figure things out and get back to playing like I want to play."