Nets: No defense for how we're playing 'D'

The question posed individually to Nic Claxton, Lonnie Walker IV, and Jacques Vaughn was to assess the state of the Nets’ defense.

Their collective answer was the same:

It is a work in progress.

“We know we need to get better defensively,” Claxton said during Friday afternoon’s practice at HSS Training Center. “That's definitely a big, big, big topic of discussion just for everybody, coaches and players.

Entering the season, the Nets believed they could reside among the league’s preeminent defensive teams. The reasoning was that the Nets would be able to score points in transition off of turnovers due to a roster filled with strong individual defenders who possess the length and flexibility to be interchangeable.

Alas, the best laid plans. . . 

Coming into this weekend’s back-to-back at Barclays Center against the Heat and Bulls, the Nets (6-8) are last in the NBA in steals per game (5.7) and forced turnovers per game (11.3), and their 15.1 points scored off of turnovers per game ranks fifth-fewest in the league.

What has gone wrong?

“We got to trust each other. I think that's the most important part is we're not communicating,” Walker said. “Picking up the communication and just being aggressive . . . being real feisty and bring that sense of havoc back.”

There is no time like the present for that sea change to take place since the Nets are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, in which they have surrendered 390 points.

The slide started with a 122-115 loss to Miami on Nov. 16. Three nights later, the Nets were blown out 121-99 by Philadelphia, and were defeated 147-145 by the Hawks Wednesday.

There were two common denominators in all three losses. The first was that the Nets struggled to get stops. The second was their inability to contain the opposing starting backcourts to a reasonable degree.

Without Ben Simmons (pinched nerve in his lower back) and Dennis Smith Jr. (sprained lower back), the Nets allowed Miami’s starting tandem of Duncan Robinson (26) and Kyle Lowry (three) to score 29 points; Philadelphia’s duo of Tyrese Maxey (25) and De’Anthony Melton (21) combined for 46; and the Atlanta twosome of Trae Young (43) and Dejounte Murray (20) finished with 63.

Overall, the Nets allowed Miami to shoot 51.9% from the field (42-for-81). Philadelphia burned them to the tune of 46.8% (44-for-94) made field goal attempts. And the Hawks connected on exactly 44% (51-for-116) of their shots.

But, as Vaughn pointed out, without Simmons and Smith Jr., the Nets “have to pick our poison some nights,” until the team is whole again.

“We’ve played some high-level dudes who have been able to score,” Vaughn said. “Every night we’re not gonna be able to outrebound a person, outshoot them, stop them from shooting threes, stop them from pick-and-rolls.”

Net nuggets

Simmons, Smith Jr. and Cam Thomas did not practice and Vaughn said not to expect the trio to play against the Heat. Vaughn did note that Cam Johnson participated in practice.… Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead were recalled from Long Island of the G League. Vaughn explained that the callup allows him to see the team’s two first-round draft picks in person.