Will Defense be the Downfall for the Brooklyn Nets?
Kevin Durant. James Harden. Kyrie Irving.
The Brooklyn Nets have acquired a lineup that consists of arguably the greatest Big 3 ever assembled in NBA history. Durant, Harden, and Irving are three of the best offensive players in the NBA, surrounded by shooters, and coached by an NBA legend, Steve Nash. It’s easy to see what makes this team special, and they can score. No team in the NBA can guard these players individually, let alone all three of them at once.
At the beginning of the season, Irving and Durant played alongside excellent role and bench players such as Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs, but had to trade all of them alongside a slew of picks to receive Jame Harden. What the Nets gained in acquiring Harden offensively, they lost equally on the defensive side of the ball.
The Nets ranked in the top third of the league in defensive rating last year, allowing 110 points per every 100 possessions, without the help of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. This year the Nets are posting the fourth-worst Defensive Rating in the NBA, and it’s only getting worse. In the last 10 games, the Nets have allowed an NBA worst 125 points per game and have gone 5-5 in that stretch. With the loss of Jarrett Allen, Caris Lavert and Taurean Prince, the Nets have lost some key perimeter players and their best defensive players and rim protectors. DeAndre Jordan has since shouldered the load of interior defense, and James Harden and Kyrie Irving have been thrust into the roles of key perimeter defenders, and that is a major problem.
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Irving and Harden have never been known for their defensive prowess, and DeAndre Jordan, although once one of the league’s top centers, no longer provides the intimidating interior presence he once possessed. With a star-studded roster that can't play defense, surrounded by shooters like Joe Harris and Landry Shamet that also can't play defense, the Nets are going to have to score an absurd amount of points on a nightly basis to be able to make up for their poor defensive performances.
On the other hand, it’s impossible to overlook the amount of offense that the Brooklyn Nets have acquired. Durant, Harden and Irving are combining for 80.6 points per game, which is absolutely incredible for only three players on a single team. Alongside the passing abilities of Irving and Harden, it is easy to get excited about the offensive potential of such a dangerous Big 3. The Nets also have a slew of shooters throughout their starting lineup that reaches deep into their bench. They are currently averaging 40% from three as a team this season while posting a league-high 121.5 points per game.
As a whole, the Nets are a very unique team that predicates the NBA’s current obsession with assembling superstars and scoring, at the expense of defense. In an era of superstars, the Nets will be putting the new style of team building to the test.
Will a star-studded team predicated on three-point and volume shooting without defense be able to play deep into a talented eastern conference? So far they have shown signs of greatness, as well as signs that may create real concern. In fairness, they have struggled with issues such as COVID, personal issues that caused Irving to miss a few games, and a newly constructed roster with limited experience.
As the season progresses and the Nets have a larger sample size, we will see whether their unequaled ability to score will overcome their inability to defend.
