Nets' defensive improvement offers glimmer of hope

Kevin Durant came back to Brooklyn as a conqueror. He got his wish a year ago to be on a new team and it has proved to be the right call, as shown by the Suns’ domination of the Nets on Wednesday.

But, sometimes, even conquerors have souls. Durant praised his former team after the game in a way that didn’t feel patronizing but was respectful.

“They are way better than what their record shows,” Durant said after his 33-point night. “It’s some games that slipped from them the last few weeks, but they got the talent in this room to turn things around pretty quick.”

The timing of his compliment might have seemed strange. The Nets’ 16-point loss was their worst since they opened January with a 27-point loss in New Orleans. The Suns, with nine wins in their last 11 games, scored 136 points, the most the Nets have allowed in the last 10 games.

Durant might have seen value in what he left behind. The problem is that Nets fans haven’t, besides the promise of Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas’ emergence.

The Nets (19-28), who will face the 76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday, have lost 13 of their last 17 games, and their total of four wins in January was their lowest in the month since they won once in January 2017. They also had several losses in which they blew fourth-quarter leads.

The only source of optimism left — besides Ben Simmons eventually returning — is that the front office could make changes between now and Thursday’s trade deadline. Nets fans also can hope their defensive strides return to what they were before the Suns game.

The Nets finished second in January in steals and eighth in defensive efficiency. Since their Jan. 11 game in Paris against the Cavaliers, they’re sixth in opponent field-goal percentage (46.1%) and 10th in three-point defense (35.6%), the latter a drastic improvement from being one of the league’s worst teams defending the three-point line since Dec. 14.

Coach Jacque Vaughn and several players credited practices in Paris for the change. Bridges said their ability to fine-tune details of their base defense has led to better communication.

“I think our execution has improved throughout the course of the game,” Vaughn said. “There are more quarters and more possessions that we’re stacking up and putting together to give ourselves a chance to win. And so you want to carry over those things into next month.”

Simmons is the wild card based on his long history of injuries. There’s no telling how many games he’ll play, but just his presence after Monday’s return has the Nets hoping he can have a positive impact.

The Nets also hope their improvement on defense can overcome their offensive issues. They finished January fifth-worst in three-point shooting and sixth-worst in field-goal percentage and points per game.

They’re also in for a tough February. NBA.com ranked their schedule as the ninth-toughest based on opponent winning percentage.

Maybe Durant was being kind as he’s moved on. Perhaps the Nets can build on their defense along with Bridges and Thomas being in a scoring groove. But Wednesday showed they still have a ways to go before reaching that potential, while Durant is chasing more glory on a better team.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

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.