Deron Williams injury: Nets star will play through bone spurs in left ankle

Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams will play through bone spurs in his left ankle this season. Nets GM Billy King revealed on Thursday that an MRI showed the bone spurs in WIlliams' ankle, and that he had taken a cortisone injection to help with the pain. While he'll be fine for now, Williams might have surgery on the ankle after the season is over to clean out the joint.

The Nets' star missed a pair of practices after the injection, but he doesn't believe the injury will cause him too many problems. Williams had the following to say about the his bone spurs to ESPN:

"I think probably the majority of athletes have bone spurs that they deal with at some point in their career. I don't know if I'll have to have surgery. I'm just saying that might be something that happens after the season. But as far as right now, my ankle feels like new since I got the shots, so hopefully I won't have to have any surgery at all."

Heat guard Ray Allen played through the same injury last season with the Celtics. He still managed to play in 46 games during the lockout-shortened season, averaging 34 minutes per game.

Williams is expected to be in the Nets' starting lineup when they open their season on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.