After seeing arguably the Nets’ finest rim safety of the season gas their best rout of the yr, it begs the apparent query: The place had this been?
And may they do it once more?
Nic Claxton’s six blocks Wednesday in Charlotte had been a season-high, and the Nets’ eight had been one shy of their high mark.
It was a uncommon displaying of rim safety from a squad that got here into that night time final in your entire NBA.
“I spoke to Jordi [Fernandez], I need to be impactful on the defensive facet of the ball,” mentioned Claxton, whose Nets play Saturday in Houston. “And that’s my problem, determining methods to do this with our protection and simply having that consistency on that facet of the ball particularly.
“This season has been kinda tough for me defensively, actually, as a result of it’s completely different schemes. It’s been completely different for me, however I’m rising into what the coaches need me to be. … The pick-and-roll protection is lots completely different than what I’m used to. However I’ve been doing lots higher at it and there’s undoubtedly a number of areas I can continue to grow.”
That scheme change can’t be overstated.
Fernandez’s protection — particularly in opposition to the pick-and-roll — is completely different than that of earlier coaches Jacque Vaughn and Kevin Ollie.
And it’s been an adjustment for all the bigs — Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney.
“Proper now, [Claxton’s] pick-and-roll protection is what we wish him to be: aggressive, utilizing his size and disrupting the basketball. And identical factor when he’s the low man or he’s defending the rim,” Fernandez mentioned.
“The opposite factor is, we haven’t had the facilities wholesome. So what we may’ve taught and gone by the method earlier than, we couldn’t undergo the method. That’s why the method is just a little late. … Once we do what we’re speculated to do, we’re a high protection in pick-and-roll.”
The Nets have been switch-happy for years, however the bigs had been additionally in a position to defend the rim. Now below Fernandez, the bigs are tasked with being extra aggressive defending the pick-and-roll, blitzing and trapping ballhandlers.
“Final yr it was extra attempt to maintain the middle on the rim,” Sharpe instructed The Submit. “[Vaughn] wished us to go block each single factor, disrupt the ball on the high of the display screen [then] go attempt to block it. Regardless of who the low man is, we’re going to attempt to block it. Jordi’s obtained a unique idea. So, you’ve simply obtained to purchase into it, attempt to make it work.
“Now you’ve obtained to know, ‘Oh, I’m not low man, so I’ve obtained to sink. Or once I’m up on the display screen, jab pocket, excessive palms. And after they rotate, the low man has obtained to select up the middle, I’ve obtained to rotate.’ So it’s simply completely different.”
Totally different, and an adjustment.
“I don’t actually prefer to make excuses. I simply should be higher. I simply should be extra locked in, that’s all,” mentioned Claxton, with an extended pause when requested concerning the new schemes. “Totally different.”
Good completely different or unhealthy completely different?
“On the finish of the day, if we’re blitzing, I simply must do it to the most effective of my means,” Claxton mentioned.
The identical holds true for Sharpe and Clowney.
“Our baseline protection is completely different,” Clowney instructed The Submit. “It ain’t a lot to it. Simply do it, execute it at a excessive degree.”
Per 100 possessions, Claxton has seen his blocks fall from 4.1 in 2022-23 — when he garnered Defensive Participant of the Yr votes — to three.4 to the present 2.3.
Sharpe has fallen from 2.4 final season to 1.4, whereas Clowney almost halved from 2.1 to 1.1.
“Our coach needs to do various things,” Sharpe mentioned. “However that comes with completely different coaches. Jordi is my fourth coach in 4 years, so I’ve obtained to discover ways to modify to a unique protection yearly. However like Jordi mentioned, simply focus and play onerous. So so long as you play onerous and deal with what he needs to do, we will get it completed.”