Brooklyn Nets Future Resting on Improved Defense, Deron Williams

However offensively-talented this Brooklyn Nets team seems to be, with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez all playing together, they won't be able to go far with that alone. Defense wins championships, and the Nets appear to be moving closer to that.

"Brooklyn has a very good team,” said Sixers head coach Doug Collins. “They’re a much improved defensive team over what they were last year and they’ve got a great chance if they keep everybody healthy to make a nice little run in the playoffs.”

Of course, last season the Nets were not especially good on either offense or defense. That was largely due to the absence of big man Brook Lopez and the below-average players surrounding a sulking Deron Williams. Doug Collins continued to praise the Nets improved defense with some compliments to a rejuvenated Deron Williams.

“They’re playing very good defense, but the real key to me has been Deron Williams over the last three months,” Collins added. “He was really struggling to shoot the ball the first couple of months. But the last three, he’s up over 54 percent shooting 3s.

An improved Deron Williams and defense will be key with the playoff approaching. The team can not expect to go far when their max contract player Deron Williams is not playing up to expectations, for whatever reasons, and the team is not playing good defense.

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