The Brooklyn Nets Defense Takes Rise Across Recent Patch

Since the start of the month, something has gotten into the Brooklyn Nets, something that has them playing a brand of winning basketball, which has them only sitting three and a half games outside of the play-in picture.

Two of their biggest triumphs early on in the month came against the Western Conference contending Houston Rockets, who dropped both games to the Nets, the first in a 12-point blowout, with the second being a narrow two-point difference.

It's apparent that their scoring numbers haven't been a catalyst for change, with Brooklyn only managing to soar above their 100 points per game average, the second lowest throughout the league, in only the first match against Houston, with each of their other games seeing them score 102 points or less.

One thing that has been a spark for their winning ways is their defensive production, which has gone from one of the worst in the league to one of the best in February.

Throughout their recent five games, the Nets have managed to produce the highest defensive rating in the league of 105.2, which can be attributed to plenty of different areas, including their remarkable work to stop their opponents from finding success on the court, holding them to only a 40.7 field goal percentage.

For reference, throughout January, Brooklyn struggled on the defensive end, allowing opposing teams to drain 48.9 percent of their shots from the field, which was the fourth-highest in the league. Their defensive troubles also persisted in the traditional stat lines, falling toward the bottom of blocks, steals, and defensive rebounds per game.

Another area of the Nets' defensive shift is in their ability to pressure the opposing team, forcing 15 turnovers per game, which is towards the top end of the league, as well as helping them create on the offensive end.

Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez somewhat highlighted this following their win over the Miami Heat earlier on in the month, a match which saw the Nets score 20 fast break points along with forcing 14 turnovers.

“Sometimes, the defense fuels your offense,” explained Fernandez, “It allows you to run, 20 fast break points, We challenge the guys to take more early shots because those are higher quality shots.”

As stated previously, Brooklyn currently sits on the cusp of the Play-In tournament, with games against both the Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, the two teams who stand in their way. Their production on the defensive end is something that could catapult them higher up the table.

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