Nets' Kevin Ollie has given the team a sharper focus on defense
Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie looks on during a timeout against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Barclays Center on Monday, March 4, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When the Nets returned from the All-Star break, their defense remained on vacation. They gave up a season-high 46 fast break points in a loss to the Raptors
“We didn't follow the game plan, I don’t know if some people had a long break,” Dennis Smith Jr. said Monday at shootaround. “As a unit, we didn't do good.”
Flash forward to Saturday’s win over the Hawks. The Nets’ defense went from wide-open to air tight in transition by allowing zero fast break points in a game for the first time since Jan. 13, 2021.
The turnaround is part of a bigger change after Kevin Ollie was hired as interim coach. Since the break, the Nets have been one of the NBA's best defenses as they’re fourth in points allowed (102.5) and fifth in opponent three-point percentage (33.5%) entering Monday’s game hosting the Grizzlies.
The Nets also led the NBA in opponent three-pointers made per game (10.2) since the break.
“We’re planting seeds, and sometimes when you plant seeds you don’t know when they’re going to blossom,” Ollie said before Monday's game. “It’s your job to keep planting them and not get distracted by naysayers saying you’re doing the wrong thing, but knowing that you’re doing the right things. And you just got to continue to plug away at that.”
In two of Ollie’s six games, the Nets held teams under 100 points, something that happened twice in the previous 35 games. Even in a loss to the Timberwolves on Feb. 24, they held them to just 101 points.
Smith said the biggest change has been being more aggressive as opposed to changes in scheme. Dennis Schroder added Ollie has emphasized the Nets have to be “hell on the defensive side of the ball.”
Still, holding the Hawks to no points in transition was something Smith didn’t expect Saturday.
“That's major, and that just shows that it’s game plan discipline,” he said. “They putting the schemes out there for us, we've got to follow it and we'll get wins when we execute.”
It’s also helpful for the next three games. The 76ers, who come to Brooklyn Tuesday, are 20th in offensive efficiency since Feb. 1 after Joel Embiid got hurt. The Pistons and Hornets later this week have struggled on offense all season.
If the Nets have fixed their defensive issues, there’s a runway to prove it during this stretch and finally be the unit they hoped to be.
“Sometimes that growth is crawling, walking, sprinting,” Ollie said. "But as long as you’re moving forward, that’s the biggest thing I want to see as a coach.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
