Lionel Hollins has Nets working on zone defense

The Brooklyn Nets are trending in the wrong direction, losing six of their last seven games after an encouraging 4-2 start.

Maybe Joe Johnson saw this coming when he said - while the Nets were still winning games - that the team was playing selfishly, and couldn't hope to keep it up. Whatever the reason, head coach Lionel Hollins is looking to make a change.

Hollins has been outspoken about his frustration with his team's effort and execution, recently telling Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, "I can tell you they have an identity, and it's not very good."

One wrinkle Hollins is hoping might help, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, is a zone defensive scheme.

"It’s just something I never believed in putting in early because usually you have to work on your man-to-man defense," Hollins said of his past hesitance to adopt the sets. "But I did work on zone the last couple of days. Slides and all that. Just to have it. In case we need it."

Brooklyn's defense hasn't been terrible - the Nets rank 16th in points allowed per possession, which is actually up from 19th last season. But the aging and oft-injured Nets might not have the personnel to maintain a passable man-to-man scheme; the zone might be a way to help mitigate the lagging foot speed of perimeter defenders like Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, and bigs like Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett.

"It will just add another dimension to us," said Lopez. "I think it’s something (Hollins) instituted to slow the game a little bit, slow teams who are trying to push the ball on the break, coming down the court. So it will be a good look for us."