Nets’ Defensive Struggles Raise Question: Early Concern or Just Preseason Rust?

When you think of Jordi Fernandez, toughness and grit are the first two characteristics that come to mind. His attempt to implement a culture built on these ideas has been quite successful thus far, even if it hasn't translated to wins just yet.

In this morning's preseason bout with the Phoenix Suns in Macau, China, those identities weren't on display as the team gave up 132 points to a Western Conference squad that experienced a complete overhaul this summer. Brooklyn conceded 18 points to Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, 19 points to Jordan Goodwin off the bench, and 21 combined between Collin Gillespie and lottery selection Khaman Maluach.

Granted, it was a preseason matchup. The game didn't mean anything, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, right? Well, that depends.

If this defensive showing was just a blip, then there's no reason to sweat. Fernandez is an excellent coach who will absolutely have his players ready come the start of the regular season, unless what we witnessed was a sign of things to come.

Allowing Booker to score 18 points in a preseason game isn't alarming at all—it's the other guys listed who could expose what may be a worsened Brooklyn defense. Now, it's important to keep in mind that eight of Booker's 18 came from the charity stripe, as did six of Goodwin's 19. The Nets roster multiple inexperienced big men who likely don't yet have the ability to truly control the painted area the way, say, Nic Claxton or Day'Ron Sharpe would.

Claxton managed to log 20 minutes without recording a foul, but Sharpe escaped his 19 minutes with three. Danny Wolf, the 2025 first-rounder out of Michigan, notched a staggering five fouls, showing an obvious need for improvement down low defensively. But he'll have plenty of time to get caught up to speed, especially since the Nets aren't expected to be competitive this season.

While the defense isn't yet a cause for concern, given that the poor showing did come in an exhibition game, issues like these have a tendency to spiral. Luckily for Brooklyn, it seems it has a very strong-minded group of young players being led by a fierce competitor in Fernandez.

If the second-year head coach has any feeling that his team may be in for some defensive struggles, you can guarantee he'll address it. So as of now, there's no reason to fret. If we're having the same conversation come November, then some changes may eventually need to be made—but we're not there yet.

And let's hope we don't get there.