For a month, the defense became Brooklyn’s identity. Not the loud, chest-beating type, but the quiet type that turned the net from a mere punch into a problem.
Brooklyn ended December with Brooklyn leading the NBA in opponent scoring, allowing just 104.6 points per game, nearly six points better than the second-lowest team in the Eastern Conference. It was a sharp reversal for a group that entered the month allowing 113.9 points per game and looking for traction.
The question now is whether this version of the Nets can continue into January.
So far, early returns have been mixed, although still a small sample. Brooklyn (11-22) leads 1-2 at the start of the new year, with two losses to the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards and a win over the Denver Nuggets. The Nets have a defensive rating of 123.3 during three games last January, and they rank 26th in the NBA, after surrendering 120 points to Houston, 119 to Washington, and 115 to Denver.
Brooklyn was missing several rotation players in its two January losses, and Nikola Jokic did not play in the win over Denver. However, the contrast with December is difficult to ignore.
Last month, the Nets weren’t content with defending. They finished their possessions. They controlled space. They were forced to make mistakes. Brooklyn ranks third in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference by holding opponents to 44.8% shooting, and third in the NBA and second in the East by holding teams to 32.8% from 3-point range. They rank sixth in the NBA forcing 15.4 turnovers per game, and fifth in the league with a defensive rebound rate of 72.1%. Opponents averaged 12.5 second-chance points per game, the fewest in the East, and the Nets were held to 107 or fewer points eight times, the most in the NBA.
These results were not related to one squad or one player. They were tied to communal customs.
“Just stick to the same principles we had, starting with pressuring the ball, being in shifts, closing down fielders, closing down shooters, multiple efforts,” Zier Williams said.
Those principles were on display again Sunday against Denver, even with the Nuggets losing their best player.
“I think I liked the aggressiveness, and that was from the first possession,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Dae Ron [Sharpe] On attack and pressure. Obviously we knew that beauty [Murray] He’s a great player…I thought our guys did a good job of wearing him down and making him work.
That aggression defined December. Under Fernandez, Brooklyn posted a +7.3 point margin of victory, after entering the month at -10.9. The Nets consistently kept their opponents in check, including a five-game stretch from December 14-27 in which no opponent scored more than 107 points. Four Nets finished December in the NBA’s top 10 in individual defensive rating, including rookies Drake Powell (91.9) and Danny Wolf (97.1), along with Sharpe (97.1).
December also showed how the offense fueled the defense. Under Fernandez, the Nets finished third in the NBA with an assist percentage of 71.2%, their best mark of the season. This ball movement helped reduce live ball turnover, allowing Brooklyn to stand up defensively and limit opponents’ transition opportunities.
“I think defensive rebounding is one thing, transitioning is another thing, and putting pressure on the ball is another thing,” Fernandez said. “Our offense can help us with our defense and our finishing possessions.”
That connection will be tested as Cam Thomas continues to reintegrate it. Most of Brooklyn’s defensive success in December came with Thomas off the court, as he only played the final two games of the month. In their first eight games this season, the Nets posted a defensive rating of 125.1, 30th in the NBA. This is not an indictment, but it sets the standard. Fernandes continues to expect more from Thomas defensively, and January will provide a proving ground.
Scheme exists. December showed that this was no accident.
The Nets defended with structure, acceptance and discipline, even while playing the rookies for 74.5 minutes per game, second-most in the NBA for the month. January will decide whether that month marks a turning point or just a blip.
“Just do it again,” Noah Clooney said. “We just played three or four teams in a row. A lot of them scored a lot of points, so, just score and do it again.”