INDIANAPOLIS — Is the Nets’ largest problem one among height, effort or scheme?
Coach Jacque Vaughn said he believes it’s a combination, mostly of effort and scheme.
Entering their 128-117 loss to the Pacers on Friday, the Nets were last within the NBA in rebounding rate, by a median of 5 boards per game. They possess the length needed to change shots (their 7.5 blocks per game were best within the league), but haven’t tracked down loose balls after misses.
What could be fixed?
“We keep going back to it. Even we had three clips on the film today [in practice], just to indicate the various layers that go into it,” Vaughn, who has blasted the team’s effort on a number of occasions, said before the sport.
In accordance with Vaughn, the flexibility of the Nets’ big men to change on screens — agile Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons are able to defense against guards — often gets them switched away from the rim.
“That’s a chunk of it,” Vaughn said before the Nets were outrebounded 41-38. “Then you’ve got the piece of smalls. As a substitute of pondering, ‘I’m going to leak out and go play offense,’ which is sweet and fun, [you think] ‘I gotta return and help.’
“It’s layered.”
Much of the blame for the Nets’ uneven and underwhelming begin to the season has gone to their defense. The Nets had held opponents to simply 44 percent shooting from the sector entering Friday, which was the most effective within the league. The more significant issue has been corralling the ball, particularly after opponents’ missed shots.
The one reason their win Wednesday at Toronto was ever unsure was since the Nets allowed the Raptors to grab 23 offensive boards that led to 34 second-chance points. (The Nets had eight second-chance points). The Nets lost in Philadelphia on Tuesday largely since the 76ers grabbed 14 more rebounds — including 20 offensive boards.
Entering Friday, the Nets had snatched a defensive rebound just 72.3 percent of the time, which was the bottom within the NBA.
The Nets have played lackadaisically at times, nevertheless it is feasible the issue lies with the personnel. Though they’re long, the Nets typically are outweighed, particularly underneath the ring. Claxton, who’s listed as 6-foot-11 and 226 kilos, is vulnerable against more traditional, stronger centers. The Nets’ other center who plays often, Simmons, is a really tall point guard.
Claxton and Simmons have shared the ground to start out games recently (including Friday), which supplies them a few lean towers at the value of possible offensive stagnation.
Vaughn hopes a renewed emphasis on hustling, boxing out and never letting guards leak into fast breaks can solve the problem.
If not, the issue could possibly be general manager Sean Marks’ to handle.
Seth Curry played after he sat out Wednesday in Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back. Curry, who had offseason ankle surgery, has not yet played games on consecutive days this season. He scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 28 minutes.
“We’re just the totality of all of it — still November,” Vaughn said. “The goal is — and I’m quite sure he’ll —… get to playing back-to-backs.”
Yuta Watanabe (hamstring strain) missed all three games of the road trip. Vaughn, who said the team is taking a “conservative approach,” wouldn’t commit to Watanabe being ready for the house game Sunday against the Trail Blazers.
“We’re going to reassess him once we get him home,” Vaughn said. “But not likely nervous that that is something that’s going to last for a very long time.”
T.J. Warren (foot surgery), who has not played since December 2021, has progressed to a “mixture of five-on-five with coaches and players,” Vaughn said. “No setbacks and hopefully that continues.”