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The phrase “living and dying by the three” becomes more applicable to the NBA each season with the league shifting towards a fast-paced, perimeter game. While the term typically refers to offensive strategy, it has also applied defensively for Jacque Vaughn and the Brooklyn Nets this season.
Brooklyn reinvented its defense in 2023-24 after ranking 29th in rebounding and 15th in opponent points in the paint last season. Vaughn shifted away from a switch-heavy scheme, playing primarily drop coverage with heavy gap help against pick-and-rolls. The goal: take away the paint and force above-the-break threes, the NBA's worst shot analytically, with defenders in position to rebound.
“Our defense is designed where we're going to hopefully be top-five in giving up above-the-break threes,” Vaughn said early this season. “Also, it's designed so that, hopefully, we'll be top-five in limiting rim attempts, which we are. Right now, that cohesion is working for us… If you want to shoot above-the-break threes all night and we can get a contest, we'll take that.”
The strategy worked initially.
Through 19 games, Brooklyn allowed 38.0 three-point attempts per game, the fourth-most in the NBA. Opponents converted on just 35.2 percent of them, the NBA's eighth-lowest percentage. The result was a league-leading 48.3 rebounds per game for the Nets and the eighth-fewest points allowed in the paint. Vaughn's squad was shooting 38.7 percent from three during that span, the NBA's best percentage on the league's eighth-most attempts.
Brooklyn was living large by the three. Since then, they've been dying.
The downside of the Nets' defensive strategy has reared its head during a 4-12 stretch over their last 16 games. Brooklyn ranks dead last in opponent three-point percentage (43.5) during that span. While they rank 12th in attempts allowed (35.2 per game), opponents are still making 15.3 threes per game. That's three more than the Nets, who rank 28th in three-point percentage (34.1), gifting opponents a nine-point advantage each night.
Despite Brooklyn ranking 27th in defensive rating during the cold stretch, Vaughn voiced confidence in his team's approach, alluding to “some bad luck” when speaking on the struggles.
“I’m more inclined to wrap my big arms around analytics more than I ever have been,” the coach said Friday. “During probably the last 12 games, we’re seventh in expected points per possession defensively… but 26th actual. So that means we’ve had some bad luck and some teams have made some threes on us. So defensively we’ve actually taken a step in doing some really good things.”
“I think overall our group has wrapped their heads around how we wanna play defense. We have played defense better, it has just been hit in the head with us not shooting the ball offensively… But over the stretch of those 12 games where we’ve struggled offensively, we’ve actually been pretty good defensively.”
While the Nets are confident in their expected points per possession, other numbers tell a different story than a team that has been “unlucky” defending the three-point line. Over the last 15 games, Brooklyn is allowing 22.1 wide-open threes per game (six-plus feet of space), the third-most in the NBA. Opponents are shooting 48.5 percent on those attempts, the league's best percentage.
Are the Nets employing the wrong defensive strategy?
https://streamable.com/8kj009
Sunday's overtime loss vs. Portland was an example of the dangers of testing opponents' three-point shooting. The Trail Blazers shot 20-of-38 (52.6 percent), gaining an 18-point advantage from beyond the arc.
Following the defeat, Mikal Bridges admitted the drawbacks of Brooklyn's defensive strategy against teams with high-level shooters.
“Our defense is predicated on protecting the paint, so we give up threes,” he said. “It's tough when you play teams with guys that can shoot. It hurts.”
Jacque Vaughn once again admitted Brooklyn is prioritizing protecting the paint over defending the three-point line, although he wasn't happy with either during the loss.
“Some [of the threes] were uncontested that shouldn’t have been uncontested,” he said. “But you gotta pick your poison. We gotta protect the rim first. We didn’t do either tonight. They got to the rim on us and they shot threes. Can’t do both.”
The Nets' struggles defending the three-point line are not entirely a product of their half court defensive system. Brooklyn has struggled offensively over the last 16 games, ranking dead-last in effective field goal percentage (50.8) and 21st in offensive rating.
The result has been frequent transition opportunities for opponents, where Vaughn's squad has been equally ineffective defensively, allowing the sixth-most fast break points in the NBA.
https://streamable.com/813tm8
In other sequences, Brooklyn's defenders fall asleep navigating off-ball screens or relocations.
https://streamable.com/fkdrtf
With Ben Simmons sidelined, the team also has glaring issues defending at the point of attack with Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Thomas. Mikal Bridges has also taken a noticeable step back defensively this season. This often results in comfortable pull-ups for ball-handlers or double-teams leading to open threes for spot-up threats.
https://streamable.com/pzvpbv
All in all, the Nets rank 24th in defensive rating this season. Whether a result of poor scheming, laziness, bad luck, or all of the above, that's a harsh reality for a team that expected its identity to be on that end of the floor.
