Brooklyn Nets: Explaining the team’s crippling road woes

The Brooklyn Nets have struggled mightily on the road this season. Poor 3-point shooting has been one of the biggest reasons why.

If the NBA ever resumes the season, the Brooklyn Nets will have to find a way to win on the road. At 30-34 overall (7th in East), the team’s 18-14 home record has been offset by a 12-20 road split.

The Nets have the 8th-largest differential between their home and road win percentages (Philadelphia 76ers are 1st). The team has the fourth-highest differential in another home-road category, however, one that has been arguably the driving factor behind Brooklyn’s road woes: poor 3-point shooting.

Home-road 3-point shooting splits

17 NBA teams have shot better from three at home this season (2.29 percent better on average), while 13 have fared better on the road (by 1.38 percent on average).

Only three teams have had a higher differential in their home-road 3-point shooting. Nets long-range shooters have hit 35.9 percent at home and only 32.4 percent on the road.

What players have driven the team’s poor road 3-point percentage? Five key contributors have shot worse on the road, some by a large margin. Kyrie Irving and Rodions Kurucs are the two biggest culprits, each with home-road differentials well into the double-digits (19.2 percent and 30.0 percent respectively). Both have been elite shooters at the Barclays Center and dreadful shooters anywhere else.

Garrett Temple, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert have contributed as well (9.5, 6.9 and 2.9 percent respectively), although it’s probably unfair to include LeVert, whose percentages have been strong regardless of location. Temple and Dinwiddie have been solid shooters in Brooklyn and subpar marksmen away from home.

Has the significant home-road drop-off just been a bit of bad luck? Or have some of the above players historically shot worse on the road? Last season’s shooting splits may provide some insight.

2018-19 Home-Road Shooting Splits

Kyrie Irving: 43.2 percent (Home), 37.1 percent (Road), 6.1 percent differential

Irving shot better at home last season as well. Not only was the differential smaller, however, his 37.1 percent road 3-point percentage was quite strong.

Rodions Kurucs: 32.2 percent (Home), 30.9 percent (Road), 1.3 percent differential

Like Irving, Kurucs also shot better from home last season. Unlike Irving, however, both his percentages were subpar.

Caris LeVert: 39.2 percent (Home), 23.8 percent (Road), 15.4 percent differential

Last season, LeVert had the biggest home-road differential of any of these eight players. As discussed, however, LeVert’s road drop-off hasn’t been problematic this season.

Spencer Dinwiddie: 32.3 percent (Home), 34.9 percent (Road), -2.6 percent differential

Although not at an elite percentage, Dinwiddie actually shot better away from home last season.

Garrett Temple: 32.5 percent (Home), 35.5 percent (Road), -3.0 differential

Like Dinwiddie, the home-road drop-off wasn’t an issue for Temple last season either.

Conclusion

Even if Brooklyn improves its 3-point shooting, the team will likely continue to have some struggles away from home. Only five NBA teams have performed better on the road than at home this season: the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans.

Given that the majority of teams have shot worse away from home, this will likely remain the case as well. If the team’s home-road 3-point shooting differential can narrow a bit, however, perhaps Brooklyn’s road record will begin to look less ugly.