The Brooklyn Nets have pulled off the NBA's most shocking turnaround early this season. A defensive resurgence has been at the center of their success. After posting a league-worst 128.5 defense rating during a 0-7 start, the Nets hold the NBA's best defensive rating (105.4) in December while posting a 7-4 record.
After Cam Thomas injured his hamstring during Brooklyn's eighth game of the season, the team inserted Noah Clowney into its starting lineup. Jordi Fernandez pointed to that change when asked about his team's sudden defensive success.
“I think positional size matters. Making the change to bring Noah [into the starting lineup] and slide [Michael Porter Jr.] to the three, it really changed everything,” Fernandez said on Monday. “But the most important thing is everybody has bought into what the coaches have tried to do. It’s just the little things. Since we did defensive circuits and all the practices… The players have put the work in, and then you can see it on the court. So it’s a cool process to go through. Obviously, we didn’t start well at all. And like I always said, that was on me and finding a way. And I think that with the coaches and the work and the purpose these guys have worked with, it’s been great.”
Jordi Fernandez on the key to the Nets' defensive turnaround:
“I think positional size matters. Making the change to bring Noah [into the starting lineup] and slide Mike to the three, it really changed everything." pic.twitter.com/ftv0OpK9n2
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) December 29, 2025
After replacing Thomas (6-foot-3) with Clowney (6-foot-9), the Nets boast one of the NBA's biggest starting lineups.
Surging defense fueling dramatic Nets turnaround as team creeps towards play-in
Brooklyn's starting unit of Egor Demin, Terance Mann, Porter Jr., Clowney and Nic Claxton has an average height of 6-foot-9 and an average wingspan of seven feet. The group's length and mobility have consistently bothered opposing offenses on the perimeter and at the rim.
The Nets have held opponents to 55.0 percent shooting at the rim in December, per Synergy Sports. That mark would rank second in the NBA for the entire season.
“You've got to give a lot of the credit to the coaches. Just us talking, us figuring things out as a group, coaches and players. And then obviously we're going out there and executing at a high level,” Nic Claxton said on Saturday after Brooklyn's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “A lot of defense is just effort, and we're putting in the effort. We put the time in practice, and our work is showing. And man, it's fun guarding like this. It's fun getting stops. I know me personally, I take a lot of pride in defense. We had some slippage, and I was like, “Let's go. Let's let's let's get back on track.” So, we just got to keep building and see where we can take it.”
Following their recent hot stretch, the Nets sit just three games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the last spot in the Eastern Conference play-in. After a hard-fought loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, they'll face another tough test when they host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
