Isiah Thomas gave his two cents on what the Brooklyn Nets need to do in order to be an “elite” team, placing emphasis on their need to be a better defensive team.
With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant healthy and ready to compete, Nets fans would have hoped that they would have established themselves as a team winning majority of their games and in the top three in the Eastern Conference. However, they have been finding it difficult to get going, as they are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 3-3 record.
The season is still very young and the Nets are still finding that team chemistry to propel them into the NBA playoffs and, hopefully, the finals. Nonetheless, a lack of discipline on defense could be costly if coach Steve Nash does not find an answer to their problems. Without the injured Spencer Dinwiddie, Nash is finding it difficult to find a lineup to replace the guard's presence.
“There’s so many attributes to Spencer that are important and valuable to our team outside of points, rebounds, assists. It’s a big loss because of his versatility, skill set, size, speed, defensive ability. We’ll miss him dearly,” Nash said, via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We’re going to see a lot of different lineups, different combinations. I don’t think it’s something we can continually overanalyze. We’re just going to have to roll with what we think is best on that night or in that stretch, and continue to grow.”
Already expressing his discontent with the team's rebounding earlier in the season, Nash and the Nets will have to listen to Isiah Thomas' advice if they want a chance at the NBA championship.