The Brooklyn Nets have a high-powered offense. Make no mistake about it. However, their defense has been nothing short of terrible for the better part of this season, as they’ve had to heavily rely on great offensive performances from Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden to help them just beat teams they should be blowing out of the gym.
The Nets are beyond capable of outscoring every team in the NBA on a nightly basis. However, their defensive rating of 111.4 on the season and 116.4 over their last five games is just not going to be good enough to beat teams that can not only match their firepower offensively but actually prevent the Nets from getting into an offensive rhythm.
Especially when you consider that those last five games have included all of the new Nets Big Three with the exception of the one game in Cleveland in which Durant sat out.
The Nets need help with their defense in the worst way, so here are some options on how they can help shore up that side of the ball (if, of course, Andre Drummond doesn’t end up coming to help save the day).
Mo Bamba
Mo Bamba appears to have fallen out of the Orlando Magic’s rotation, so a change of scenery could very well be in order for the Harlem native. What better place would that be than his own home area? Well, this could be a move the Nets make that won’t cost them much in the way of assets and could really bring them the help they so desperately need on defense.
Last season, the Magic ranked 6.3 points better on the defensive rating metric with Bamba on the floor than off, and Bamba allowed opposing scorers to shoot at a 51.2 percent clip when he contested shots within six feet of the rim. Those numbers suggest that there is a ton of promise in his defensive ability, as Bamba came into the league with high expectations as a defender and is still only 22 years old.
A change of scenery and being back home can really help unleash the potential of Bamba, as his 7-foot-10 wingspan can help take on threats inside the post and take a huge load off of DeAndre Jordan‘s minutes and usage.
In Brooklyn, Bamba will not have to worry about contributing on the offensive end at all. All he’ll have to worry about is using his frame and athleticism to provide great defense and rebounding, and a winning situation might bring the best out of the sixth pick in the 2018 draft.
JaVale McGee
There have been recent reports that the Nets are in on JaVale McGee, as McGee has fallen out of the Cavs rotation due to the majority of minutes at the center position being eaten by a combination of Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen.
McGee would be an excellent fit in Brooklyn, as he brings solid interior defense and a veteran that can eat into a lot of open minutes at the center position. McGee can get passes inside for easy points at the rim or catch lob passes, but he also allows 51 percent of the field-goal attempts he defends within six feet of the rim, which is good enough to split time with DeAndre Jordan at the center position.
The Nets could probably get him for a combination of second-round picks or a player that doesn’t really fit their team, so what worse could they do than bringing in a three-time champion who can help an area of weakness for a championship contender?
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
The former Net makes a lot of sense here as a wing who can defend every position on the court and help bolster the teams’ defense. According to Narsu and Miller’s data, before the suspension of last season in March, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a defensive versatility rating of 94.2 which was a result of his aforementioned ability to defend every position on the court. Hollis-Jefferson spent 18.3 percent of his time on point guards, 23.6 percent on shooting guards, 19.3 percent on small forwards, 21.0 percent on power forwards, and 17.7 percent on centers.
Hollis-Jefferson won’t solve all of their problems defensively and doesn’t offer much in the way offensively, but the Arizona product will help the Nets close out on shooters much better and bring some much-needed hustle and energy on the defensive end, as he averaged 6.0 contested shots last season in just 18.7 minutes per game.
Nobody on the current Nets roster comes close to matching that volume let alone his defensive versatility, which is a big reason why they currently give up the fourth most field-goals on a per-game basis. In a lineup featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, you are not going to need Hollis-Jefferson to shoot the lights out. All you need from him is his hustle and defense.
