Mikal Bridges is pleased with the Brooklyn Nets' defensive performances

The Brooklyn Nets won two games in a row against the Hawks, which involved standout offensive performances from Mikal Bridges, who scored 38 points, and Cameron Johnson, who averaged 26 points across the two wins. However, Mikal credits the Nets’ defense more than the team’s offense.

Since he’s known as a top-tier defender, Mikal knows the value of defending well and how it can affect the Nets’ offense. After the second win against Atlanta, the former Villanova Wildcat detailed how much of a factor the defense played in those two wins.

Kevin Ollie gave Nic Claxton and Dennis Smith Jr. credit for their work on the defensive end. Said Mikal Bridges got "lost in playing defense" and the offense came to him on this 38-point special.

"You forget about yourself, you find yourself" - Ollie said of Bridges
— Evan Barnes (@evan_b) March 2, 2024

"Just defense. You know, we started playing together defensively, we were lacking energy from the beginning and we just picked it up,” Mikal said after the Saturday win against the Hawks.

“It’s 48 minutes so we just stuck together, didn’t let it just put us down. We just kept fighting… Defense sets the tone, and offensively, just finding the rhythm, finding our offense, and just sharing the ball.”

The optimal way to play under Coach Ollie

Interim head coach Kevin Ollie said he wants “hunters” on his team. That has many meanings, but the most important is playing better defense. Brooklyn must hunt the opponent’s best players and make it challenging for them to score.

The Nets are well-equipped to do that, as Brooklyn has pesky defenders like Dennis Smith Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith playing crucial minutes for Coach Ollie. That kind of hunting helped Brooklyn come back against the Hawks and win the season series.

Atlanta is one of the league’s best offensive teams, scoring 120.4 points per game. Against the Nets, the Hawks scored only 99.5 points per game. That’s a massive achievement for Brooklyn, which they should keep doing for the rest of the season.

Outstanding strip from Dennis Schröder on the low-man rotation, leads to Cam Johnson free throws: pic.twitter.com/vkNyAxLq3g
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 2, 2024

Brooklyn feels more confident when they play good defense

The Nets are a team of elite athletes who thrive in transition layups and three-pointers. Mikal thrives in those situations, as he’s a good finisher at the rim, and he can hit catch-and-shoot threes at a reliable clip.

As long as Brooklyn keeps playing this way, the future is bright for the Nets. Coach Ollie is promoting this kind of play style because he knows it fits almost every player on the team. The franchise cornerstone is happy with it, which likely means the rest of the squad will find value in playing better defense.

The optimal way to play under Coach Ollie

Brooklyn feels more confident when they play good defense

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