The Cleveland Cavaliers face off against the Brooklyn Nets tonight, and their defense will be tested with Brooklyn’s ball-movement, so communication will be even more paramount.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense has been the major issue so far this season, and that will have to be better against the Brooklyn Nets’ young squad tonight. Brooklyn is a team that is going to move the basketball fast around the horn in their offense, and playmakers such as D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert (who could break out this year) and Spencer Dinwiddie can get open spot-ups for their other pieces.
Cleveland’s defense has suffered from a reported communication issue the first three games, and that’s opened up too many open looks from the perimeter for their opponents. The Atlanta Hawks, who don’t project to be one of the best offenses in the league, just hit a franchise record 22 three-point shots in Cleveland’s last game, and they also had a considerably high number of easy layups.
The Nets are a team that wants to drive-and-kick all day if possible, and although they’ve been a middle-of-the-pack three-point shooting team (15th in makes, and 17th in attempts, per NBA.com), they have a number of snipers, and are going to play unselfishly. Brooklyn had the third-most passes made per game last season, and are eighth in that metric this year, per Second Spectrum.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson is preaching the right message of team offense, and Brooklyn is applying it.
Allen Crabbe, Russell, Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs, Jared Dudley and even very athletic young big Jarrett Allen can hit open threes all game if Cleveland does not communicate well in their rotations to shooters post-penetration.