Can the Brooklyn Nets Defend the Paint?
The Brooklyn Nets are not in the postseason because of their defense. Brooklyn posted the 20th-best defensive rating in the league this season, the fourth-lowest of the 20 teams set to battle in the playoffs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, have been dominating the paint in March – scoring 53 points per game in the paint, the 4th best mark in the league.
Though we are staunchly in the three-point era, the paint may be where this Play-In matchup is won.
In the last match-up, the Cavs showed why their size should be a concern for Brooklyn. Even missing center Jarrett Allen, the Cavs still play one of the tallest rotations in the league, regularly playing three bigs at once.
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The Nets responded to these line-ups by switching, hoping to keep everything in front of them since they already were conceding size in most match-ups.
In this play, a cross-screen gets Markannen with the smaller Brown guarding him. The Cavs’ tall line-up further pays off when, off the miss, Mobley soars in for an easy putback.
When the Brooklyn Nets don’t concede the switch, they’ll need center Andre Drummond to step up. Drummond is a strong (if slow-footed) presence on the interior, and he’ll have to do better than this against Cleveland’s bigs:
Drummond isn’t the only key player to the game though.
