The Brooklyn Nets' defense looked like their biggest tank weapon to begin the season. Jordi Fernandez's squad posted an NBA-worst 128.5 defensive rating during a 0-7 start. Fast forward to December, and the Nets are allowing the fewest points in the NBA (102.3).

When asked about his team's shocking defensive turnaround, Fernandez credited his assistant coaches for their tutelage and his players for their buy-in.

“I think it's a credit to the coaches to find a way to break things down, and when we got time to practice and watch film with the players and do their 1-on-0 work that they do, embracing the defensive end of the floor, and especially the players, because they're the one putting the work in and buying into it,” the coach said. “We didn't start well at all defensively. It was very poor. We didn't buy into a lot of things. Obviously, we've evolved and made some adjustments, but now it feels like we have a good rhythm with our physicality, with our communication, getting multiple stops in a row, making winning plays. We're building our defensive identity. And I give credit to the coaches for structuring the work and to the players for doing the work, and then putting it out there on the court.”

The Nets looked discombobulated and, frankly, disinterested defensively during their abhorrent start. However, their effort and understanding of Fernandez's scheme over the last month has been a wholesale change.

Following their 0-7 start, the Nets are 8-12 overall and 8-9 in games when Michael Porter Jr. plays. They've posted a 112.0 defensive rating during that span, the seventh-best in the NBA, and a 16.5-point improvement over their first seven games.

Cam Thomas exited the Nets' lineup with a hamstring injury during the first game of that 8-12 stretch. Thomas has been a glaring negative defensively throughout his tenure. Replacing the 6-foot-3 guard with 6-foot-9 Noah Clowney transformed Brooklyn's starting lineup and provided an immediate defensive boost.

Inside the shocking defensive turnaround fueling Nets' resurgence

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) tries to drive past Brooklyn Nets forward/center Noah Clowney (21) during the second half at Barclays Center.
John Jones-Imagn Images

The Nets' revamped starting five of Egor Demin, Terance Mann, Porter Jr., Clowney and Nic Claxton boasts an average height of 6-foot-9 and an average wingspan of seven feet. That length, along with Brooklyn's improved effort, has restricted passing and driving lanes, as well as shooting windows.

“I think we're being active all the time, we’re getting a lot of deflections,” Demin said. “We're being active with our hands. We're using our length, and we’re being disruptive. And I think it all comes from defensive rebounding, too. Defensive rebounds and not letting them run and being physical.”

Brooklyn has also benefited from an adjustment to its defensive scheme.

The Nets played one of the NBA's most aggressive defensive coverages to start the season. They posted the second-highest pick-up point of opposing ball-handlers, frequently doubling at halfcourt and bringing their centers to the level when defending pick-and-rolls.

While they've stayed true to Fernandez's aggressive philosophy, they've switched more recently.

“I think it’s a mix of a lot of things,” Fernandez said of his team's defensive improvement. “It’s a better job by our guys closing out with the stick-hand all the way to the body, we’ve discouraged some of those threes. So, better awareness right there. Technique-wise, I think the coaches have done a great job putting together these drills, and we’ve had time to practice. The other thing is switching more in the pick-and-roll. It creates less help, less rotations, and you can defend the three-point line easier.

“And then the multiple efforts. We’ve had good winning plays where you have to go get out to the 3-point line to a good shooter and limit that 3. So, happy with that. Still, we have a lot of work to do with defending the rim, some containing the ball, especially in transition. So, keep getting better is important, but I’m happy with the three-point [defense].”

Article Continues Below

The Nets allowed the NBA's most points in the paint (59.1 per game) during their 0-7 start. They rank seventh over their last 20 games, allowing 49.1 per game. They've also gone from dead-last in defensive rebounding percentage to eighth during the 8-12 stretch.

Noah Clowney's emergence has played a significant role in those improvements. With Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe playing at the level in Fernandez's aggressive pick-and-roll coverage, Clowney is often tasked with protecting the paint as Brooklyn's low man. Following a poor defensive start, the 21-year-old is averaging 1.3 blocks per game over his last 18 appearances.

The Nets' defense is 3.2 points better per 100 possessions with Clowney on the floor, the fourth-best mark among 17 forwards who've played over 600 minutes this season, per CleaningTheGlass.

“[Noah's] big for us because of the way our defense has set up, a lot of times I’m not always at the rim,” Claxton said. “I may be on the perimeter helping up on the defense or guard, so it forces [somebody to protect the rim]. If Noah can be such a force down there as a low man, it really helps us out tremendously.”

Brooklyn has also defended the three-point line significantly better of late. Over their last 20 games, the Nets have allowed the third-fewest three-point attempts (33.1) in the NBA, with opponents shooting 35.3 percent. Meanwhile, they're attempting the third-most (41.1 per game) while also shooting 35.3 percent.

As a result, they're making 14.5 threes per game compared to opponents' 11.8, giving them an 8.1-point advantage at the three-point line each night.

The Nets appeared destined for one of the NBA's worst records at the start of the season. However, their defensive resurgence has them playing respectable basketball over the last seven weeks.

While Fernandez and his players are pleased with their improvement, they feel they can reach another level.

“Our defense has been pretty solid this past month,” Claxton said. “It's been really good. We just gotta keep taking steps in the right direction. We got a lot of switchable defenders. There's are still a lot of areas we can get better. We gotta just keep going.”