HOUSTON -- The Nets have two big issues right now: Deron Williams’ wrist and their defense. 

Williams’ wrist is a bigger concern.

The Nets’ new All-Star point guard has a strained right wrist that requires rest, and he hasn’t been able to get much. He played in the All-Star game and banged it. He played Friday in San Antonio and banged it, and it still bothered him in his second game as a Net last night.

But Williams still made plays for his teammates in a 123-108 shellacking by the Rockets. The Nets missed 60 percent of their shots and Williams still had 17 assists. Just like in his debut, he could have had more but the Nets sometimes can’t shoot straight.

“It’s going to continue to be sore,” Williams said. “I’ve got to play through it. It’s good to just be on the floor with the guys. It’s really what it’s about, trying to develop some sort of chemistry. Get a feel for the offense.”

Williams said he doesn’t think he’ll need surgery after the season. But it’s likely he’s going to have to take some practices off, even though he needs practice so he can get to know the plays better and build chemistry with his new team.

The Nets have held one shootaround together since the trade and that’s it. They haven’t had a practice. They play Monday, so their first one will be later this week in London, where they have games on Friday and Saturday.

There is a little stretch here where Williams can get some rest for the wrist, but how much and how much of a difference it makes remains to be seen. But you can tell the impact it’s having on Williams’ shot.

He was 3-for-12 against the Rockets, after going 5-for-13 against the Spurs. He also has missed five-of-18 foul shots.

To put it in perspective, Williams shot 45.8 percent from the field with Utah and 85.3 percent from the line.

Some of that is that the shots he’s getting aren’t as open because this isn’t Utah’s system and the Nets don’t have as many players that teams have to guard. But some of it is the wrist, as he’s missing shots he normally can make.

Opponents aren’t having that issue against the Nets.

The Rockets rung up 71 points in the first half and had 99 late in the third. They would have broken 100, but ex-Net Courtney Lee missed a couple of free throws late in the period. That was the best defense the Nets played all night.

Nets coach Avery Johnson said the defensive lapses have to do with a new player, a new lineup and a lack of chemistry as a result. You can’t discount any of those reasons, but the Nets had these troubles before the trade.

Three-point shooters must salivate when they see the Nets are next on the schedule. They are wide open. Guys inside are wide open too as the Nets lack a defensive presence anywhere on the floor.

One sequence that exemplified that was Chase Budinger getting the ball on the right baseline. He dribbled and drove in for a one-handed dunk, uncontested.

Budinger gets up, but this wasn’t LeBron James getting a head of steam and taking off. Someone on the Nets should have slid over or down something to try and make Budinger rethink what he was going to do.

But the Nets don’t do that. They never do.

“Right now our defense has taken a significant step back and we know all of the obvious reasons,” Johnson said. “It’s not an excuse. We’ve got to get on the same page. 16 games before the All-Star break, we were a pretty good team defensively, only giving up 96, 97 points and 44 percent from the field.

“We’ve taken a significant step back defensively. Some of it’s going to be addressed once we spend some time together.”

The Nets need time to gel and Williams' wrist needs time to rest, which is all the defense has done lately.

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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone

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Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)