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Brooklyn Nets: Week 3 Coach Analysis

By Brandon Jefferson

Feb 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; World Team head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Atlanta Hawks (left) instructs World Team guard Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves (22) during the second half against the U.S. Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; World Team head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Atlanta Hawks (left) instructs World Team guard Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves (22) during the second half against the U.S. Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Breakdown: Isaiah Whitehead

As a rookie, defense is supposed to be one of the harder things to grasp for a player. This includes the spacing, the speed of the game, the bigger floor, and the sophisticated offenses. All of these are supposed to take time before a player can have a profound impact on that end of the court.

That wasn’t the case for Whitehead. The rookie guard did more than enough to help the Nets have one of the stingiest starting lineups in his two appearances as a starter.

As mentioned in previous slides, the Brooklyn native’s size is a useful advantage. He’s athletic enough where he can hassle opposing players while not having to be right up against them.

A two-game sample size is pretty small, and crazier things have happened in a two-game stretch. But the improvement as a whole is a welcomed sight for Brooklyn’s fan base and front office in this rebuilding year.

With Whitehead as the starting point guard, the Nets posted a DRtg of 99, a full six points lower than the team’s average DRtg  of 105.4. Field goal percentages relatively stayed the same in comparison with opponents’ shooting: 45.2 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point territory. However, the team saw a big rise in defensive rebounding. Their defensive rebound percentage (DREB%) got all the way up to 80 percent.