Nets Month In Review - March 2014

[jonathanlambert33]

The fact that the Nets were able to win 12 games against some tough competition without Kevin Garnett playing for the entire month is very impressive. After their struggles to begin the season, it seemed as if the Nets would be dispatched quickly in the first round if they even made it in. Now, we can make a good case for the Nets advancing deep into the playoffs. It's a far cry from the beginning of the season where we thought the Nets had a decent chance of winning the Eastern Conference, but you'll take what you have now if you're the Nets and their fans.

The Nets were already a poor rebounding team, and that trend continued with Garnett missing in action. Brooklyn only collected 45.5 percent of the available rebounds on the floor, second worst in the league. Fortunately for Brooklyn, they made up for this deficiency by forcing turnovers at a very high rate. The Nets got teams to cough it up 18 times per 100 possessions, highest in the league. Lack of size will be an issue for Brooklyn if they face Chicago (or Indiana if the Nets get out of the first round), but they can work around that if they can continue to force turnovers at a high rate.

Brooklyn's three point shooting really buoyed their offensive attack in March. Thanks to Marcus Thornton, Paul Pierce, Mirza Teletovic and others, the Nets shot 40.4 percent from downtown, fourth highest in the Association. Pierce only averaged 26 minutes, but he still played great for Brooklyn and will see a lot more playing time once the playoffs begin. Deron Williams only averaged 5.7 assists a game in March, but he did shoot 46 percent from the floor and split ballhandling duties with Livingston.

Mason Plumlee and Shaun Livingston deserve special mention. With Garnett out, Plumlee slid into his spot in the starting lineup and did a very good job. He only averaged 21.2 minutes in March, but he picked up seven points and six rebounds a game during that time span. He commits too many fouls, but he is progressing nicely as a defender and his athleticism would be very beneficial for the Nets if they face the Raptors in the postseason. When Brook Lopez returns next season, the Nets will face dilemma when deciding how to divide minutes between Lopez, Garnett, Andray Blatche and Plumlee. As for Livingston, he's continued his success from earlier this season and has set career highs in multiple categories. How good has he been? Back when we had our roundtable discussion at the All Star Break, Net Income and Reed Wallach named Livingston as the first half MVP.

http://www.netsdaily.com/2014/4/6/5565386/the-month-in-review-march-2014

 

[jonathanlambert33]

bump for the afternoon crowd