T.J. Warren Unsure Where 'Narrative' About His Defense Came From
T.J. Warren has been known for his scoring and his ability to create his own shot throughout his eight-year playing tenure in the league. The 29-year-old wing, who missed the entire 2021-22 season with a foot injury, is determined to show people he's a two-way player and scrap the narrative around his defensive play.
"I’m fully confident in myself. I know what I can provide for a team," said Warren after the Brooklyn Nets practice on Tuesday morning. "Just being a two-way player, locking in on defense. I feel like a lot of people didn’t think I can play defense. I don’t know where that narrative came from, but I’ve been improving on that end as well as being a scorer. Just being aggressive when I’m locked in."
Warren has shown flashes of great defensive play in the seven games he's played since returning from his foot injury. He’s made handfuls of key stops in single-coverage and has moved well in Brooklyn’s switching defense. Not bad for a player who was away from the game for nearly two years.
That’ll play a big role in the Nets defensive identity — an identity fellow teammate Royce O’Neale sees being forged during this hot streak.
“Definitely. I mean each game I just feel like we’re building and creating an identity for each other, especially on the defensive end,” O’Neale said Tuesday afternoon. “Our defense is going to keep up in those games and our offense is always going to be there as long as we play the right way.”
To Warren, there isn't a specific end of the floor that is harder adjusting to while he continues to get his legs under him. The challenge at hand is more of building continuity with his teammates due to becoming healthy in late November.
“I mean, it's tough coming into a team, especially a new team midseason after being out for so long," Warren said. "It takes some getting used to, just getting familiar with guys and learning the coaching staff and just trying to figure out what you want to be and what you want to do out there consistently every night. So it’s an adjustment.”
The good news is that Warren remains healthy for Brooklyn. The wing sat the second half of the Nets' win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night after, what appeared to be, colliding knees with an opposing player.
Through seven games, Warren feels like he's adjusted better physically than what many expected this early on, considering his very long injury layoff. His left foot is feeling good and as each game passes, the comfort continues to rise.
“My foot was good. It's getting better every game," he said. "Every time I'm out there, I feel like starting to feel that myself more and more and more. Definitely. I’m definitely feeling…being out two years and coming back, I feel like I've been adjusting pretty well, I think better than what people want. But it's always room for improvement. I’m still getting my legs under me. So it's getting more and more comfortable out there.”
The Nets' head coach Jacque Vaughn stated that all his players went through practice on Tuesday. Everyone, barring setbacks or NBA G League assignments, is expected to be available for Wednesday's matchup against the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors. Patty Mills will be available for Brooklyn after missing the last two games with a non-COVID illness.
