We've already seen the 3 good stats from New Jersey's 116-101 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta. Clearly there is a whole lot more to choose from on the other side of the aisle. So before we turn the page to the finale of the Nets short two-game road trip in Dallas, here are the 3 bad stats Avery Johnson will be focusing on his team improving against the Mavericks.
1. 5 Rebounds
Brook Lopez has finally caught up to his scoring average from a year ago (18.9) but continues to struggle on the glass. The Nets are 20th in the league when it comes to rebounding but would be among the best if only Lopez could make his presence felt.
His rookie season Lopez pulled down 8.1 rebounds per game and 8.7 last year before dipping all the way down to 6.1 this year. Through 22 games he has only registered 2 double digit rebound games, the same amount as rookie Derrick Favors who has played very limited minutes.
2. 60.3% Shooting
For a coach that preaches offense, it must make Johnson sick to see a team shoot over 60% against the Nets. Even when New Jersey gets their offense to come around, they aren't going to beat anyone if they are shooting at that clip.
Adding Terrence Williams back into the rotation will help matters, but there is a bigger issue with the Nets defense that he won't be able to address...
3. 1 Block
Sure, Williams is long, but in a year-plus in the NBA he has only recorded 10 blocks. Meaning his return will not add any intimidation to the paint and that could be the biggest issue facing New Jersey going forward. We have yet to see one team shy away from taking the ball inside against the Nets.
Maybe when Favors gets his nightly average over 20 minutes the team will start blocking more shots and thus creating transition opportunities. Until then, there doesn't seem to be an answer on the roster when it comes to protecting the paint. Just like the problems on the glass, this responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Lopez.