For a lot of this season, any fleeting success the Nets discovered got here on the offensive finish. However their greatest type of the season has come over the previous two weeks, and it’s come driving the most effective protection within the league.
With their 97-89 win Monday night time over the Hornets, a fellow lottery aspirant, the Nets have received 5 of six and abruptly are enjoying withering protection, with coach Jordi Fernandez’s teachings seeming to have lastly taken maintain.
The Nets held the Hornets to 89 factors, after smothering Miami to 86 on Friday. It marked the primary time they’d held consecutive opponents beneath 90 factors in over a decade (Dec. 2014).
“The consistency, the work the coaches put together with finding what our priorities are,” Fernandez mentioned earlier than the sport. “The three-point line was a difficulty, and our pick-and-rolls had been very inconsistent. So discovering time and methods to get that work finished, after which getting the reps.
“We’ve had a lot of different lineups, and it’s hard to find consistency when those guys don’t play together for long stretches. Now, those guys have done a great job. They’ve played together for a little bit and now you can see some results. So credit to the coaches, to the players and we’ve got to keep taking positive steps.”
The Nets had bottomed out with a Jan. 27 loss by the hands of the Kings, operating their season-worst shedding streak to seven.
They snapped that skid with a 104-83 laugher at Charlotte two nights later, beginning this turnaround.
Getting into Monday, they’ve led the whole league in a number of metrics, together with defensive score (105.2), area purpose proportion allowed (40.7), area objectives allowed (35.2) and blocks (8.2) since then.
“It’s our pressure, intensity, physicality. We buy into what Jordi wants to do defensively, helping each other, not worrying about our guy, just buying into the game plan. We go out there and play hard,” mentioned Day’Ron Sharpe, got here into the night time with a 94.2 defensive score the previous two weeks and helped key this run.
“Our physicality, but also our focus is being consistent. That results in positive things,” Fernandez mentioned. “There’s no perfect system. The only way is when everybody pushes in the same direction and everybody’s trying to do the same things.”
Earlier than this, any success was: 1) offensive smoke and mirrors; 2) via vets not lengthy for this roster; 3) each.
This run has been spurred by protection, and it’s a subtly totally different protection than what Jacque Vaughn and Kevin Ollie ran a season in the past, one which they’re nonetheless studying.
“Our system has to keep developing and have more things to do in our arsenal, so this way we can adjust,” Fernandez mentioned.
“While we’re out there, we play hard, but we still have to be able to do the things we need to do while we play hard. We just can’t play hard and just be doing whatever,” Sharpe mentioned. “You have to be in control or a controlled way of playing hard. Stay focused on the game plan. [With the plan] they present us with every game, I feel like we’re gonna win.”
That sport plan nonetheless doesn’t swap as a lot as in years previous. Sharpe and Nic Claxton hedge aggressively, however nonetheless know when to sink again.
Each facilities have been a lot louder and higher communicators, quarterbacking the protection.
“Jordi is just challenging us to be defensive anchors,” Sharpe mentioned. “Me and Nic, we’re taking that challenge … talking the whole game, being able to touch on the screens, making the second effort, sinking. Just buying into that and trying to help the team win.”
The Nets have finished a greater job closing out on shooters and have funneled foes to the sidelines.
“We all started focusing on the little things on the defensive end, just listening to what Jordi is preaching step-by-step,” Tyrese Martin informed The Publish. “Whenever you’re not guarding the ball, ensuring you’re in the proper spot in your stance, closing out the correct approach, rebounding higher. It actually took our protection to a different stage.
“Just having Nic and [Sharpe] on the backside, it helped a lot. We can really climb into the ball and up our pressure,” added Trendon Watford. “When Nic and Day’Ron [talking], we’ve got to be the loudest in the gym. … I feel like we can pretty much guard a lot of teams in the league.”
