Nets' Forward Ziaire Williams Dealing With 'Very Minor' Back Fracture

Amid a disappointing start defensively, the Brooklyn Nets could be left without one of their top perimeter defenders. After initially being diagnosed with a "contusion" after a scary fall in Brooklyn's loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, Ziaire Williams told reporters on Thursday that the injury is more severe than anticipated.

While speaking at a promotional event in Manhattan, Williams explained his current situation to Andrew Crane of the New York Post, calling the issue a "small, very minor" back fracture rather than a "contusion." After the fall, Williams exited and did not return, following up a monster 25-point showing by playing just 13 minutes, producing five points, one rebound and one steal.

“It locked up on me,” Williams told Crane at a Raising Cane’s event in Times Square. “But it’s something that can’t get worse. So at this point, it’s just a pain tolerance thing, so as soon as the pain just goes down, it’s never gonna be perfect at least right now. But as long as it’s just enough for me to get through it, and defensive slides and stuff, then I’ll play.”

It's important to note, in Crane's piece about the revelation, he added that Williams hopes to return Sunday for the Nets' 6 p.m. home bout with the Philadelphia 76ers. Whether that happens or not ultimately falls on the training and coaching staffs, in conjunction with Williams himself, of course.

In addition to his own bumps and bruises, Williams also provided further insight into the defensive woes. Brooklyn showed signs of a concerning defense as far back as its first preseason contest against the Phoenix Suns, but since the start of the regular season, the defense has been even worse.

Still, the Nets employ the talent necessary to turn things around. Williams, one of the best (if not, the best) perimeter defenders Brooklyn boasts, followed up his injury chatter with defensive optimism.

“It’s just about putting it together for 48 minutes, cutting down the bleeding,” Williams said. “We’ve been down 15, 20 points, so watching film and seeing what we could do better to stop those runs, when we play with desperation, we’re pretty good, man," Williams continued. "We apply a lot of pressure, get guys to turn the ball over and shooting bad shots. So we just gotta just figure out how can we do that from the jump."

Williams and the rest of the Nets' young crew look to right the defensive wrongs this Sunday. For the team's sake, hopefully Williams will be good to go despite the "small, very minor" back fracture.