Coming into the season, Kenny Atkinson felt his team’s defense was ahead of their offense.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
So far the Nets defense has gone from so-so most of the time to sieve-like when it matters most. Their inability to get stops down the stretch has seen them waste Kyrie Irving’s brilliance in a 1-2 start.
“It’s just about getting stops at the end of the day. That’s the name of the game,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “We have two of the best guards in the league in Caris [LeVert] and Kyrie. They’re going to be able to score. We just have to do our part to help get stops to make sure those buckets are impactful.”
Irving had 37 points Sunday in Memphis, while LeVert added 27. And that still wasn’t enough, as the Nets blew an eight-point lead with three minutes left, losing in overtime.
Glaringly, it’s not a single Achilles’ heel like board work or getting back in transition.
Simply put, the Nets can’t get a stop when the chips are down.
After last season’s Dec. 6 film session epiphany, Brooklyn had the sixth-best defensive rating in crunch time. But in 25 similar minutes so far, the Nets have already allowed 52 points, worst in the NBA.
“It’s everybody coming together and having the collective focus and effort and intensity, all those things,” Dinwiddie said. “Sometimes it’s the guards not getting well in the pick-and-roll. Sometimes it’s the wings not top-locking a cutter. Sometimes it’s the bigs not getting the rebound. It’s anything. It’s all of us. That’s what defense is.”
Which may cut to the crux of the matter. With so many new faces, this team will take time to jell on defense.
“It’s multiple things. I wish I could say it was one thing,” Atkinson said. “We’re fouling shooters. Last season, we were really good at not putting teams on the line; we’re struggling with it this year. And it’s guys grasping our defensive concepts. It’s ‘Hey, what do we do here?’ We need some more time together to figure those things out.
“We have things to work out with our defense. We’ll score points; we have talented offensive players. It’s, are we going to figure out the defensive end?”
Their lack of cohesion has been most glaring in endgame situations.
Their net rating in the fourth quarter is fourth worst in the NBA. And in overtime, their defensive rating is dead last.
“Defensively we’ve got to be better,” said LeVert, adding it’s not just the newcomers who are out of sync. “No, it’s not just them at all. Our defensive chemistry as a whole isn’t there right now.
“At times, we’re not thinking the game like we should be. Some of it is chemistry; some of it is learning the new schemes. … But we’ve just got to be better at that end.”
Joe Harris cited a need for more personal pride on defense, and Irving pointed to a lack of physicality, adding that can come with more familiarity and chemistry once they get to know each other.
“It’s a choice,” Irving said. “Getting back, making sure you’re not overaggressive on certain defensive sequences, out of position — that does have something to do with cohesion when you bring the physicality on the defensive end. When you have the physicality and you have the mind up here … you know your spots and you can play off instincts.
“[Then] your teammates can trust where you’re going to be, and they know your aggression is going to take them to another level. … That’s something you bring to the end of the game. That’s a choice.”