Everyone knows that the Brooklyn Nets tank was driven by a poor offense. There were nights when they couldn\u2019t buy a bucket and other than Michael Porter Jr., there was no reliable scorer on the roster.<\/p>\n
But as Brian Lewis writes Tuesday, the defense wasn\u2019t any good either.<\/p>\n
The Nets had the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league last season at 118.2. All of the bottom-eight squads ended up going 26-56 or worse besides they Bucks, and they had the advantage of riding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for much of the season. Almost without exception, lousy defense means losing kjyrbasketball.<\/p>\n
Now, following a number of off-season moves, particularly with the trade for Julius Randle and the signings of Keon Ellis, Moe Wagner and Josh Minott, the team appears to have improved in physicality and the ability to disrupt their opponents\u2019 offense, two areas where the Nets were particularly wanting. To be sure, we\u2019re not talking about any All-Defensive team candidates, but with so much of the Nets rebuild, it\u2019s incremental.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a disruptor, that\u2019s what our team is going to be known for, that\u2019s what we want to be known for,\u201d Sean Marks recently told The Post. \u201cThat\u2019s the style with which Jordi and the coaches want to play, whether you\u2019re playing out of position, whether you\u2019re helping your partner out there, you\u2019re scrambling to make up for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think a physical brand [of defense is needed], and we brought in players who are physical. So that\u2019s what we want to see. That\u2019s contagious. And our rookies will learn from them having \u2014 the sophomores, too \u2014 having to go through that every day in practice. And then you go out there and do it for 82 games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis also cited some positive numbers put up by Minott and Ellis. After coming to Brooklyn, Minott\u2019s steal percentage ranked in the 98th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. As for Ellis, his steal percentage ranked in the 94th percentile in 2024-25 and in the 96th percentile for the Kings last season before being traded to Cleveland, where it fell to just 83rd percentile.<\/p>\n
The Post writer argues that defense was also critical to the Nets choice of promising defender Mikel Brown Jr. over the \u201cdefensively-challenged\u201d Darius Acuff at No. 6 in the June Draft.<\/p>\n
The Nets also have installed Day\u2019Ron Sharpe at the starting center position replacing Nic Claxton sent to Chicago in the three-team deal that brought Randle to Brooklyn along with Joshua Jefferson, the No. 28 pick. Marks spoke about how Sharpe, who had the Nets top individual defensive rating last season deserves the chance \u2026 and a new contract that will pay him $20 million over the next two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom [Sharpe\u2019s] standpoint, it\u2019s an opportunity, right? And Day\u2019Ron deserves that opportunity,\u201d Marks said. \u201cHe\u2019s put a lot of work in over the last couple of years. You can see the physical changes, you can see the confidence with which he\u2019s played with.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been in our gym really religiously all summer long already. So he knows what\u2019s ahead of him. And he knows the expectations that he\u2019s put on himself. So again, excited to see \u2014 not only for Day\u2019Ron, but for a lot of guys: Do they seize this opportunity?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nets did lose some rim protection in the switch but as Lewis also points out, Claxton finished the season at the opposite end of defensive spectrum from Sharpe with the worst individual defensive rating (other than the departed Cam Thomas who left at the trade deadline.) Might the Nets give Noah Clowney back-up minutes at the 5 to take advantage of his 7\u20192\u201d wingspan and shot-blocking potential? He seemed to show that ability back in April 2024 when he had games of seven and four blocks within a week. But like a lot of his game, he\u2019s failed to show consistency, his career average only 0.6 blocks per game. Of course, he\u2019ll have an added incentive. He becomes a restricted free agent in July.<\/p>\n
Physicality should also be an area of improvement with the addition of Randle and Wagner in particular. Both are known as tough guys.<\/p>\n
As Lewis reports, there\u2019s a lot of enthusiasm for Ellis, the rangy 6\u20194\u201d 26-year-old who played for Jordi Fernandez in Sacramento \u2026 and who the Nets signed to a two-year, $18 million contract, a nearly 400% jump in salary over what he made last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely familiarity with Keon,\u201d Marks said of the relationship between Ellis and Fernandez. \u201cAnd I think what we saw from Keon a couple of years ago was a young man that came into the league and obviously surprised some people with just the pace at which he played with, the poise, but also being a disruptor out there on the defensive end of the court as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for us, adding somebody that there\u2019s a familiarity with, a young guy that fits our timeline and he\u2019s played in big games, big moments and so forth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellis appreciates the kind words, but notes defense is a team concept.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just about the effort,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cI go out there and I just try to make it tough on guys. At the end of the day, you\u2019re playing against the best players in the world. They\u2019re going to score, they\u2019re gonna get to their spots. You\u2019re gonna have bad defensive games, you\u2019re going to have good defensive games. But I just think the mindset of every night just trying to do the right things, be in the right spots, and just attack the gameplan, I think that\u2019ll help everyone accomplish the goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not the greatest defender ever, but with team defense, everyone\u2019s on the same page, that kind of helps everyone a little bit better. I think just me coming in, I\u2019m more of a lead-by-example kind of guy, so I think just me going in and playing hard, that\u2019s what motivates the next guy to go just as hard.\u201d<\/p>\n