Nets open 2024 seeking fixes on defense
Jacque Vaughn of the Nets reacts during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Barclays Center on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
NEW ORLEANS — A new year started with a familiar question: What’s wrong with the Nets’ defense?
It’s not just their struggles in losing eight of their last 10 games. It’s asking how a team with several great individual defenders hasn’t jelled together yet. They’ve given up at least 120 points in 17 of 33 games entering Tuesday night’s game at the Pelicans.
The Nets are 1-16 in those games. The fact the Nets have given up so many points in over half their games has their attention.
“Overall, the problems do evolve, and as you solve something, maybe something else comes up,” Cam Johnson said at shootaround on Tuesday. “So it’s just constantly a chase of addressing what needs to be better and what we can improve upon.”
Over the last 10 games, the Nets haven’t stopped teams in transition or from taking three-pointers in the half-court. They’re tied for 28th (out of 30 teams) in fast-break points allowed (18.0) and 29th in opponent three-point shooting (42.9%).
Each game compounds things even more as the Nets allowed the Thunder to shoot 54.5% on threes Sunday. Coach Jacque Vaughn said that part of why he changed starting lineups — Dorian Finney-Smith in for Cam Thomas — is because the lineups were struggling both defensively and offensively.
Yet it’s still confusing that a team with a former All-Defensive selection in Mikal Bridges, one of the league’s top shot blockers in Nic Claxton and reliable defenders like Dennis Smith Jr. and Royce O’Neale resides 24th in defensive efficiency this season.
For Spencer Dinwiddie, it comes down to being sharper with rotations when the Nets are changing defensive coverages during the game, a still relatively new concept.
“Just understand that, obviously, with every new wrinkle, everybody has to be that much sharper, that much on point,” Dinwiddie said. “Sometimes people make mistakes and it’s a human game. There’s error out there, and as much as we’d like to play perfect, you know, unfortunately, we’re not able to.”
What makes the defensive issues worse is the NBA is having a historic season on offense. As of Tuesday, teams are averaging 115.4 points per game, which would be the highest since 1965-66.
After setting a record for offensive efficiency last season with 114.8 points per 100 possessions, the league’s average efficiency is even higher this year at 115.6.
It doesn’t excuse the Nets’ lapses, but it shows what they’re working against. It’s harder than ever to stop teams from scoring. The Nets, however, can’t and aren’t using that as an excuse because they have the personnel to be better.
Yet somehow, they’re not. It’s one thing to struggle stopping the league’s good teams, but after struggling to beat the Pistons twice and losing to the Wizards last Friday, it’s affecting them against the league’s worst, too.
Players have mentioned there needs to be better trust and more communication on the floor. For Johnson, it means being sharper with defensive assignments.
“It’s just kind of like a connectivity, having each other’s back, forcing them to take the shots that we want them to take,” he said. “And being in gaps, and presenting a picture that makes it a lot more difficult to score.”
It’s easier said than done, but the Nets need things to change soon with a back-to-back that began Tuesday night.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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