The Brooklyn Nets have struggled to execute at a sufficient level on defense throughout the 2021-22 season. However, there’s been slippage since the All-Star break as the team competes for play-in positioning.
At times, the Nets have come out flat and have dug themselves into an early hole that requires a big run to overcome. In their 130-123 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday, Brooklyn trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before needing a strong rally to turn things around.
Nets coach Steve Nash explained how he feels for effective improvement on defense to occur, it’s best for it to be a “player-led” process.
“It’s always most effective when it’s player-led,” Nash said. “They’re going to hear me say it over and over every day. When they push each other for more, you’ll see the defense improve some. We’re going to stay on them … but I think there is an element to it that is when they decide they’re going to defend and do it internally they’ll be exponentially better than if they have to listen to me every day.”
Since the All-Star break, the Nets have posted a 117.2 defensive rating (24th) and that’s substantially worse than the 111.2 defensive rating (19th) they recorded prior. For Brooklyn to fulfill their championship contention aspirations, tightening up on defense is vital.
Among the important observations Nash shared with reporters was the Nets’ tendency to play with “edge” when getting up for certain opponents. Other times, there is slippage and less urgency.
“It really comes down to how much edge we play with,” Nash said. “Miami, we played with a lot of edge. Against Utah — the best offense in the league — played with a lot of edge. I think when we play with edge, we’re a much better team defensively. When we take our foot off the gas a little bit we’re not good enough to just roll out there and shut people down.”
The personnel the Nets have at their disposal is not enough to have an elite defense, but they do not need one given their level of offensive firepower. Getting as close to being at least average on defense is a reasonable goal.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://netswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[lawrence-related id=44242,44173,44195]