How defense changed Brooklyn's future
Brooklyn Nets are playing the way they should have played for the last three seasons. They have won 16 of their past 18 games and are within 1.5 games of the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn Nets are a team that has improved their defense this season. Nic Claxton is a key player in their defensive scheme. He is also a good player on the fantasy level. He ranks in the top 40 in fantasy points scored this year. The team is ranked ninth in team Defensive Rating. It is the first time since the 2013-14 season that the team has been in this position. Before that, the Nets were in bottom-12 defenses in each of the last two seasons. Ben Simmons, Royce O'Neale and Claxton are defense-first players.
The Nets have four players in the top-130 fantasy points scored this season: Durant, Irving, Claxton and Simmons. All four have missed double-digit games in all three seasons.
The Nets are a team that is starting to come together. However, they have a lot of injuries and injuries are not a good predictor of future success. They are among the favored teams in the league and have odds too short for my taste on the risk/reward continuum. I'm willing to trade any Nets player on my fantasy squad and I am fading them in NBA futures. I endorse utilizing the Nets and their players in DFS and daily betting considerations. In daily scenarios there's no major risk based on historic trends. i.e. in daily scenario there is no risk. It's possible to enjoy their stellar play.
