Nets: Brooklyn’s bench is making the superstar trio look bad on defense

While it’s not unreasonable to doubt the Brooklyn Nets after they pulled off the James Harden trade, it was perfectly fair to wonder if Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving would summon the necessary effort on the defensive end.

While those three have played well together, and Brooklyn is 8-3 since the Harden deal, their loss against the Washington Wizards underscored how badly everyone else is playing on defense.

Points per 100 possessions shows that all three of Brooklyn’s superstars are playing above-average defense, with Harden showing some exceptional ability on that end this season. However, key reserves like Landry Shamet, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Reggie Perry have struggled with that part of the game.

The Brooklyn Nets need better production on defense out of their bench.

The biggest offender on this list is Luwawu-Cabarrot, who is on this team because of his potential as a two-way player. While Shamet is currently playing some awful basketball right now, he’s on this team to add some shooting, and defense has never been his strong suit. Perry, who was picked near the end of the draft out of Mississippi State, wasn’t an amazing defender in his college days, and he clearly needed some time in the G League to refine his skills.

Luwawu-Caborrot, who missed a wide-open layup that would’ve handed the Nets a win against Washington, could lead a defensive turnaround himself by committing more on that end. However, if he continues to underperform and de facto defensive coach Jacque Vaughn fails to concoct a scheme that can stop even the lowly Wizards, Brooklyn might have to get used to these shootouts.

As talented as Durant, Harden, and Irving are, they are still just three players, and the fact that Brooklyn completely folds when they aren’t on the floor is a convincing sign. While the bench as a whole needs to step up, the trio of TLC, Shamet and Perry specifically need to bump their production up if the Nets want to break their bad habit of blowing leads.

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