Brooklyn Nets: What is wrong with Jarrett Jack?

With the Brooklyn Nets currently struggling to produce offense, one player that has been playing very poorly has been Jarrett Jack. The Nets are second to last in the league in points, and they are in the bottom five in pace. In order to increase the offensive output, Jack will have to step up and start producing at a more efficient rate.

Since Jack came into the league in 2005, he been known to do one thing better than almost everyone in the league: increase the pace of the offense. Jack has always excelled at pushing the ball down the floor to create fast break opportunities. No matter what team he goes to, the pace of that team always increases. So, with Jack on the Nets roster, why has the pace gone down significantly?

More from Nothin' But Nets

The best answer for that question lies in the way that the Nets have communicated with one another on the court. They are averaging nearly 16 turnovers per game, which is one of the highest in the league. Because they have clearly not gelled well together, their offensive struggles have greatly increased. Jack is the Nets’ leader in turnovers, averaging 3 per game. Compared to 6.5 assists per game, this ratio is absolutely awful. Jack has shown terrible court vision and lack of energy when pressing the ball, and it has led to a lot of wasted opportunities.

Nov 6, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (2)during second half at Barclays Center. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Furthermore, Jack has become somewhat of a ballhog. His assist total this season wouldn’t completely suggest that, but watching Jack play this season has been difficult. He has taken far too many bad shots with the shot clock always winding down, and he has obviously missed most of them. He seems to want to create his own shots, which has never been his strong suit. Far too many times, Jack tries to cross over the defender and shoot over him, but he does not have the quickness to pull this off anymore.

Jack’s shooting percentage this season has been the worst in his career so far, but he has averaged more shots per game this season than anytime else in his career. He is taking 13.8 shots per game, which is 0.8 more than his previous high, with the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans). This just adds to the point that Jack has become too much of a ballhog, especially when he is making just 37.3 of his shots.

Also, despite Jack’s history of being a competent three point shooter, he is shooting just 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, which is well below his career average of 34.8 percent. Jack has been a major reason for why the Nets are last in the league in three point shooting.

If Jack continues to play completely out of character for himself, the Nets will continue to struggle. If Jack can get back to the way he played throughout his career, the Nets will find it easier to win games. Jack needs to get back to his roots: pressing the ball up the court, finding open shooters, and spot up shooting. The Brooklyn Nets success is absolutely dependent on their floor general, and if he cannot produce, it will be a long and disappointing season.