In one of his early starts in what would become a respectable rookie season, the 6-10 power forward out of Boston College lived-up to the shot blocking hype in a New Jersey Nets win over the Kings. Williams' final stat line was impressive to say the least: 8 blocks to go along with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

He'd made his mark.

A year later, Williams is trying to figure out where that mark went.

"He gets lost on the court. He doesn't know where to be," a league source familiar with the situation in New Jersey told HOOPSWORLD when asked why Williams' star has fallen so fast in East Rutherford.

"It's not a question about his athleticism. They (the Nets) know he can play. It's more about his motivation right now and where he fits in on the court."

The truth is Williams doesn't fit on the court for the Nets at this point in the season. New Jersey is sitting at 15-15 in the Atlantic Division. Out of those 30 games, he's appeared in only 16 games and is averaging just 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds, while playing 11.1 minutes per game. That's a significant decline from last season where the former 17th overall pick in 2007 appeared in 73 games with 29 starts and averaged 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Yet what's disparaging is the shooting percentage from the field. This season Williams is shooting a lowly 33% compared to solid 54% his first season in the league.

His shot blocking ability has also declined (0.7 bpg), a deadly combination coupled with Williams' offensive struggles.

How fast times change.

While the league source who spoke to HOOPSPWORLD used the word "head case" to describe Williams' mentality on the court of late, a better word should be employed: lost.

Once an energetic spark off New Jersey's bench, Williams may need MapQuest to find his way back into head coach Lawrence Frank's good graces. Williams is lost in the mix and it's easy to see why the Nets are at a loss on where Williams fits into their future.

It's clear Williams' apprehensive and inconsistent play stems from his swift demotion in Frank's rotation. Frank says it comes down to "numbers and specific match-ups" and surely playing behind both Bobby Simmons and Stromile Swift – and among a complete log jam in the post with the likes of Brook Lopez, Yi Jianlian and Josh Boone - this season hasn't helped the cause. Neither does the steady trade rumors that seem to always include Williams' name whenever alleged talks with the Nets arise.

"They've had offers," the league source continued pointing to the proposed Williams for Golden State Warriors guard Marco Bellinelli trade back in November. "They just don't want to give him away."

Now reports indicate the Nets may eventually move Williams to their NBDL affiliate – the Colorado 14ers. While General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe admitted there are no current plans to send Williams to the D-league, perhaps it's not such a bad idea for both sides. Anything beats the scuttlebutt about being shopped or logging a bunch of Did-Not-Play's. Since its clear Williams is lost in translation, maybe he can find himself on the floor down on the farm.

"I haven't heard anything about it," the New York Post wrote when Williams was asked about his willingness to head down to the D-league. "If it's a chance for me to get better."

Williams knows he has to work harder. He knows he must take advantage of the opportunities given to him, no matter how small the playing time. He's already begun taking ownership of his shortcomings in his second season - after being a little slow on the uptake. It's worlds apart from last year when he was a rookie on the rise thanks to an eight block game in late December.

Sean Williams is finding that out the hard way.