BROOKLYN - The numbers say the Brooklyn Nets have a defense problem. Jordi Fernandez isn’t ready to call it a lost cause.
Through four games, Brooklyn has already been hit with some ugly early-season metrics: 123.8 points allowed per game in an 0-4 start, plus an opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 58.1, the highest in the NBA. But Fernandez struck a confident tone Tuesday, saying he feels “very positive” about where the group can go from here.
“I've been happy with the aggressiveness of the group. I mean, it's not perfect… But I'm happy with how the group is working,” Fernandez said before Tuesday's 125-124 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.
“I know that we have to contest threes better. We're limiting the rim [attempts], but we don't limit the percentage.
Teams are finishing very well at the rim. So being better situated on the court [is key].
That means more help defense, verticalities, charges, all that will help. Right now we're playing so spread out.
That means you need a team that is compacted to help one another. And those things that we're working on.
I'm very, very, very positive that the group will keep getting better. It's three games, and I believe we all want to solve things right away.
And that's the excitement that everybody has, us included, the fans. But we know that the way these guys approach the day-to-day and the work they've put in, I'm just very, very positive about how things are going to go.”
Fernandez’s defensive philosophy has been clear from the start: pressure the ball, force mistakes and break up rhythm. On that front, Brooklyn has gotten results. The Nets are forcing the sixth-most turnovers in the league at 18.3 per game and rank 10th in points off turnovers at 19.8 per game.
Jordi Fernandez told me he's feeling "very positive" about the Nets' defense improving soon:
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 27, 2026
“I've been happy with the aggressiveness of the group. I mean, it's not perfect... I'm happy with how the group is working... I know we have to contest threes better. We limit rim… pic.twitter.com/Iuirj4zbNJ
The problem comes when the first action doesn’t create a turnover. Then the floodgates open.
Opponents are getting up 42.5 threes per game against Brooklyn, the third-most in the NBA. Even more alarming, the Nets are allowing 21.8 wide-open threes per game - defined as shots with six or more feet of space - which is the second-highest mark in the league. Opponents are cashing those in at 47.1 percent.
Inside, the picture hasn’t been much prettier. Brooklyn is giving up the 11th-fewest rim attempts per game at 30.0, but opponents are converting 69.2 percent of those chances, the third-highest rate in the NBA.
Tuesday night was a good example of how all of that can still add up to a rough result, even when the Celtics struggled from deep. Boston went just 11-of-41 from three, a 26.8 percent clip, yet still put up 117 points in regulation and 125 overall. Jayson Tatum did the heavy lifting, scoring 40 points, taking a career-high 22 free throws and ending the game with a buzzer-beating winner.
Brooklyn’s own offense hasn’t exactly been helping the cause. The Nets are turning it over 18.0 times per game, the fifth-most in the league, and Fernandez said those mistakes spill over to the other end.
“[We've worked on] a little bit of everything,” Fernandez said. “It was a constant issue with our shot selection and our turnovers [against the Pacers].
It's been a common issue in our first three games. Both ends of the floor are connected.
Your offense can help your defense, but your offense can also hurt your defense, and vice versa. And I think right now our poor shots [are hurting us].
Missed layups go the other way, and poor shots are poor floor balance… And you guys know about the turnovers; it's pretty self-explanatory. But I think that those are things that we all have to understand.
Then there are other things about contesting shots and hard contesting shots. We've had a little different issue game by game.
It's only three games, so it's not like you can make a lot of assumptions.”
The overall profile is still shaky. Through four games, Brooklyn ranks 23rd in offensive rating at 107.3, 24th in defensive rating at 116.7 and 25th in net rating at -8.9.
And the schedule isn’t giving the Nets any breathing room. Up next are the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
In Other News...
Nets Young Core Ran Into The Same Frustrating Problem Again
Chaney Johnson got the start in place of Egor Dmin on Friday night, a change forced by the bone bruise that has sidelined Dmin and left Brooklyn shuffling its young lineup again. The Nets actually grabbed an early lead against Detroit, but the familiar issues followed soon after, with the offense bogging down and the shots not falling as the game wore on.
Brooklyns problems only deepened in the third quarter, when the Pistons started to separate and the Nets found themselves chasing a game that had gotten away from them. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the bench group was getting extended run for Mikel Brown Jr., Danny Wolf and Drake Powell, another reminder that this still-developing roster is trying to find answers while searching for its first win of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Backcourt Shakeup Just Put One Rotation Battle In Focus
Jordi Fernandez is already reshuffling the Brooklyn backcourt three games into the season, and the move has quickly turned one of the rosters early questions into a live rotation battle. Nolan Traore got the nod in place of Keon Ellis and responded with a promising first start, finishing with 15 points and three assists before cramps forced him out of the game.
The bigger wrinkle is the health of Egor Demin, who had handled the point guard spot through the first three games before being sidelined. Chaney Johnson is set to start against the Detroit Pistons in his place, leaving Brooklyn to sort out both the short-term lineup and the longer-term fit in a backcourt that already looks unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rotation Problem Is Putting Moritz Wagner Under Real Pressure
Moritz Wagner has given the Nets some useful scoring pop off the bench, averaging 10.3 points per game, but the fit has been far less tidy on the other end. Brooklyns defensive numbers have taken a hit with him on the floor, and the issue goes beyond one rough stretch. Wagner is more comfortable stepping out to defend the perimeter than anchoring the paint, which leaves coach Jordi Fernndez trying to balance a skill set the team can use against the interior resistance it still needs.
The problem is made trickier by the roster around him. Brooklyn does not have a deep pool of backup center answers, and the sample size is still small enough that the staff has to decide how much weight to put on early returns. Fernndez also has to factor in Wagners contract, which makes any rotation adjustment more than a simple short-term tweak, and the next stretch could say a lot about how long the Nets keep leaning on him in that role. [Read more 🡒]