Take the Next Step Offensively and Defensively

Last season all teams in the playoff race were in the top half in offensive rating or defensive rating. The Cleveland Cavaliers might have been putrid on defense, but they were also the 5th best offensive team. To be one of the 16 best teams in the league you have to be in the upper echelon on offense, defense or both.

The Nets were the 10th worst team in the league on offense. Long-term Injuries to D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin at different stages of the season didn’t help their cause. Around the All-Star break, they also lost key rotation players, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert for significant chunks of time.

With a massive lack of talent and depth, it was hard for Brooklyn to have any consistency on cohesion on that end of the floor. The acquisitions they made this offseason should certainly help on that front, especially when it comes to the focal point of their offense – perimeter shooting.

Defensively, Brooklyn was even worse. They posted the league’s 25th ranked defensive rating and gave up more points per game than all but two other teams. Hollis-Jefferson, Allen, Carroll and to a lesser extent Crabbe all showed capable moments defensively, but they had too many players not showing the consistency required to be a top-15 defensive squad. Ed Davis should certainly help them achieve that as should the maturation of guys like LeVert and Allen.

It’s tough to say whether the Nets improve dramatically enough on either end of the floor to become a playoff contender. Perhaps they have a hot season from the perimeter, and their offseason additions end up giving them enough as a defensive unit. They’ll certainly need one of those to pan out to even be a fringe postseason presence.

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