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What Can Be Drawn From Brooklyn Nets late String of Wins?

By Zack Collura

BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 25: The Brooklyn Nets bench celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 25, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 25: The Brooklyn Nets bench celebrates during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 25, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Brooklyn Nets won three straight games and five of seven since the end of March. How can their late success be understood?

The Brooklyn Nets started 2018 out strong, with their two games resulting in victories over the Magic and Timberwolves. Their winning ways were short lived though, as the losses began to pile up. Their struggles in January carried over into February, culminating in a stretch where they lost 11 of 12 games.

After a lackluster start to March, the Nets seem to have hit their stride, winning five of seven games heading into their final contest of the season. Four of the five victories have come on the road, and two of the wins were against playoff teams. What stands out from the Nets’ strong play to close out the season?

Defensive Turnaround

During their worst stretch of basketball in January and February, the Nets defense cratered. From January 24 to February 24, their defense was the worst in the league at 115 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. Their defense of late has been remarkably better, allowing 104.3 points per 100.

Jarrett Allen in particular has been a force around the rim, with 16 blocks over seven games, including four or more blocks in three consecutive games. In the clip below, Allen expertly plays the pick-and-roll to reject Cristiano Felicia at the rim:

The Nets have given up fewer than 100 points per possession with Allen on the court during the stretch, per NBA.com. Allen has had an excellent rookie season, but most of his contributions have been on the offensive end of the floor. His ascension on the defense is a promising sign for the Nets heading into the off season.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s activity has been a boost for the defense as well. He’s averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals in April. Even against Giannis Antetokounmpo, his length is a problem:

Here, on the fast break against Robert Covington:

With Allen and Hollis-Jefferson healthy, the Nets have a pair of lanky, athletic players that should make offenses lives difficult. Neither has shown an ability to stretch the floor, which could make limit their ability to share the court on offense. They’ll have to be a dynamic on the defensive end of the floor together, and their play of late is what the Nets will need to turn their defense around next season.

Tanking Teams

It’s impossible to deny the fact that several teams in the NBA were tanking. Without their top draft pick, the Nets weren’t one of them. Three of the Nets’ five wins have came against teams that have all but thrown in the towel (two against Chicago, one against Orlando). With such a young core, the Nets didn’t deviate dramatically from their normal lineups. Victories over these teams count all the same, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that teams at the bottom of the standings shifted their approach late in the season.

Health

For the majority of the season, the Nets missed at least one starting player due to injury. Jeremy Lin went down in the opening game of the season. In November, D’Angelo Russell suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for over two months. Once Russell returned, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson went down and missed nearly a month of action. Caris LeVert missed several games as well.

To close out the season, the Nets finally had most of their regular players healthy. LeVert, Russell, and Hollis-Jefferson have all been healthy and seen regular time.

A Promising Stretch

The Brooklyn Nets suffered another difficult season, but made strides from the team of the last two seasons. Jarrett Allen exceeded expectations for his rookie year. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Spencer Dinwiddie made leaps. Caris LeVert has shown major flashes (in March, he averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 39% from three).

If there’s anything to take from their strong close to the season, it has to be the defense. If the Nets are looking to improve on their win total from this season, they’ll have to make strides on the defensive end of the floor. At times, they were the worst defense in basketball. They finished 24th in defensive rating on the season.

Their late stretch of games, though, would put them in the top-eight in defensive rating on the season. It’s unrealistic to expect that kind of turnaround, but if they can be even a league average defense, it would be reasonable to expect major improvements from Brooklyn next season.