Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams has responded to criticism from former teammate Paul Pierce about being unable to deal with the pressure in New York.

Pierce revealed earlier this week that he believes that Williams was affected by the pressure after moving to a big market from the Utah Jazz.

However, despite slipping from an MVP candidate to being dropped from the starting lineup for the Nets this season, Williams has played down the situation.

"Being here, I got pretty thick skin," Williams said, according to ESPN.

"He has his opinions, and that's fine."

Pierce also labelled his time with the Nets as "horrible", and criticised the other players for having him and Kevin Garnett push them to be better instead of the other way around.