Brooklyn Nets Sign Andre Roberson to Shore Up Their Defense

On Monday, the team announced that they have signed free agent guard Andre Roberson to a non-guaranteed minimum deal worth $1.5M. Roberson was one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders who could defend positions 2 through 4 while also providing good coverage on point guards.

Roberson though is coming off a patellar injury that kept him out of action for two and a half seasons. He looked rusty and in poor form last season, forcing teams to stay away from him during the free agency period. However, the Nets are betting that he can regain his old form in Brooklyn.

Roberson’s Long Journey Back

Roberson played three seasons for the University of Colorado, earning All-Pac 12 first-team honors in 2012 and 2013 while being named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He was the 26th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves who traded him to the OKC Thunder on draft night.

Andre Roberson’s comeback timeline:

➖ 2.5 years

➖ 30 months

➖ 909 days

➖ 180 OKC games

Been great seeing him hoop again in Orlando 🙏

(via @royceyoung) pic.twitter.com/j2kRTFKsgZ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 28, 2020

The 6-7 guard quickly became a fan favorite in Oklahoma City because of his dedication to defense. Roberson started 269 out of 302 games during the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook era, averaging 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 22.3 minutes of playing time. Roberson was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive 2nd team in 2017.

But tragedy struck during his fifth NBA season when he suffered a freak knee injury during the team’s 39th game of the campaign. After undergoing surgery, Roberson’s recovery suffered three different setbacks that saw his upturn incredibly delayed. He would spend a total of 909 days on the shelf before finally returning to action.

The pandemic delayed the 2020 season and offered him the chance to finally suit up.

Roberson returned to play in last season’s bubble tournament and played in just 12.4 minutes per contest. Roberson was left without a team after becoming a free agent at the end of the previous season.

Could Give a Defensive Boost

The signing of Roberson is aimed at improving the Nets defense. The Nets are 17-12 on the season and have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn has the most offensively gifted starting five in the league ( and perhaps of all-time ) with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden but the team lacks the defensive presence that would make them serious title contenders.

The Nets’ defense could receive a major boost with the addition of former Thunder forward Andre Roberson https://t.co/1f2wAgWq43

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 16, 2021

Although the best NBA betting sites have the Nets second behind the Lakers in the 2021 NBA championship odds boards, the Nets rank 26th in the league in Defensive Rating at 114.0 points per 100 possessions. Brooklyn is also allowing the 3rd most points in the NBA at 117.7 points per game.

Recently, the Nets added Iman Shumpert and Noah Vonleh to shore up their roster and improve their team defense. But so far, neither has made an impact. The Nets hope that Roberson’s infectious energy and defensive hustle will be the spark that the team needs on the defensive end. However, while Roberson is a welcome addition, he does not address their need for a defensive big man and the fact that they rank last in the league in Opponents Points in the Paint allowed.

Only three teams have won the NBA title this century with a defense outside the Top 20. The 2001 Lakers were the worse of the three with a 22nd ranked defense. The 2020-21 Nets are four spots off the Lakers. Sure, they have a team that is talented enough to be an exception. But Steve Nash would rather try fixing that rather than try to go up against history.