The Brooklyn Nets suffered another bad loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. The defense continued to be an issue.
In 2017, the Brooklyn Nets have won just one game in the new year, and things aren’t looking up. While we all expected the Nets to struggle, this recent stretch has been awful. One of the reasons why is because their defense is arguably the worst in the NBA.
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On Saturday, the Nets’ defense continued to struggle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After allowing 129 points, head coach Kenny Atkinson appears to be fed up.
“I just don’t think our defense [was good enough]. It just wasn’t acceptable. I don’t think we contested shots, our physicality was below average. We talk about having a road mentality. We didn’t have it,” said Atkinson to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, who added he is considering lineup changes in the wake of their latest defensive debacle.
Atkinson seems like he is prepared to make some changes to his lineup. The current lineups aren’t playing well defensively, and that has to change.
"“We’ll look at it. I think it’s something we’ve got to look at it. We’ve got to find the guys that want to defend and distribute the minutes proportionately, appropriately. I think that’s where we are. I think we’ve had a streak here where we’re not defending. That’s not acceptable. That’s not the type of program we’re trying to run.”“[Atkinson] did address it. It’s obviously something we have to deal with as players. I don’t know if lineup changes would do that, but we need guys out there from the jump who are going to be ready to play and ready to compete.”"
Since December 16th, the Nets have allowed 100 or more points in 23 straight games. The next game for the Nets will be on Monday, January 30th against the Miami Heat. The Heat are a good defensive team. However, their offense isn’t great.
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This could finally be the Nets’ chance to snap their awful defensive streak. It will be interesting to see if Atkinson does indeed try to send a message with a new starting lineup.