Noah Clowney has not set the NBA ablaze in his second season with the Nets. His 2024-25 stats, when checked out in a vacuum, recommend he has not improved a lot since his rookie season.
However stats could be a little deceptive. Clowney has already appeared in 18 video games this season after taking part in 23 as a rookie, with most of these alternatives coming within the closing months of Brooklyn’s 2023-24 marketing campaign. He’s averaging a career-best 17.8 minutes per evening. And whereas his taking pictures percentages are down in comparison with final season — he had an efficient area objective share of 60.2 final season in comparison with 50.4 this season — his factors per sport have jumped from 5.8 to 7.6.
Clowney was pressured to overlook eight straight video games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 8 due to an ankle damage. He was taking pictures 46% from the sector over an eight-game span previous to damage however had been taking pictures 33.3% over his first three video games again.
Whereas Clowney shot simply 30% from the sector in Thursday’s defeat of the Toronto Raptors, he nonetheless loved one in all his higher performances in latest weeks, ending with 11 factors and a season-high 9 rebounds in 37 minutes, filling in at heart after Nic Claxton was ejected for tossing the ball into the group early within the second quarter.
The 20-year-old stepped up when the staff wanted him to. That’s value a gold star in Jordi Fernandez’s e-book. Forward of Saturday’s sport in opposition to the Utah Jazz at Barclays Middle, Brooklyn’s head coach praised the ahead for his efforts at each ends of the court docket.
“I think he’s growing,” Fernandez mentioned. “He’s taking really positive steps from his shooting to his physicality. I think that his defense the other day, where he chested drives, and he used his body correctly, where in the past he’s tried, and it’s a learning process… The kid always tries, tries really hard, plays hard, wants to learn, wants to watch film, get better, and now you see the growth.”
Positional versatility is the important thing to Clowney’s continued emergence. The extra positions he can play, the longer he’ll be capable of keep on the court docket. He obtained his second begin of the season on Saturday.
“One of the coaches I worked for said the more spots you can play, the more minutes you’ll be able to play,” Fernandez mentioned. “Right now, just his versatility, yes being able to play the 5 at times, but also playing 1-4 or 2-4, that just allows him to be on the court. If he can guard 1-5, then that’s even more possibility for minutes, rebounding well, all those things… He’s really helping himself, but most importantly, helping the team.”
MORE G LEAGUE FOR WHITEHEAD?
The final time we noticed Dariq Whitehead on the court docket for Brooklyn, he knocked down six 3-pointers in opposition to the Chicago Bulls and completed with a career-high 18 factors. Whitehead’s time within the G League has led to vital enchancment in his sport. A lot in order that Whitehead apparently needs to proceed to play with Lengthy Island so long as potential.
In a latest interview with Clutch Factors’ Erik Slater on the NBA G League Winter Showcase, Whitehead revealed that he informed the Nets’ entrance workplace that he would fairly keep within the G League to extend his sport reps. The 20-year-old has appeared in simply three NBA video games this season, so it’s onerous to argue in opposition to that logic. If taking part in within the G League is the most effective likelihood for him to maximise his growth, then that’s precisely the place he must be.
“For me, it’s more so playing the right way,” Whitehead informed Slater. “Jordi emphasized taking the shots that I’ll take up there in Brooklyn. Obviously, everyone knows I’m a talented scorer, can score in a lot of ways, but it’s more so for me just keeping it simple. Not trying to get to stepback 3s and stuff up here and knowing when I get with Brooklyn I might not have the opportunity to get those stepback threes. It might be a lot more catch-and-shoot. So just playing the right way, the way the coaches are emphasizing, and just creating the right habits.”
FINNEY-SMITH INJURED AGAIN
Veteran ahead Dorian Finney-Smith didn’t play in Saturday’s sport in opposition to Utah due to a left calf contusion. He entered the day listed as questionable however was later dominated out.
“Yeah, I think he got hit, exactly [where] I don’t know because I haven’t watched it, but he played through it, and obviously this is a precaution,” Fernandez mentioned. “We don’t want to take any risk with the discomfort and everything… So, next man up.”
It was the ninth sport Finney-Smith has missed this season. He missed 4 straight video games from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 due to an ankle damage.
