Coming into this season, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez went out of his solution to prop up Nic Claxton as a future Defensive Participant of the Yr candidate. The homegrown middle should still win the award sometime, nevertheless it actually received’t be this yr.
Claxton was the Nets’ No. 1 precedence in free company final offseason, they usually gave him a four-year, $100 million extension. Because the staff’s longest-tenured participant, he was anticipated to step right into a management function for the rebuilding franchise and take leaps at each ends of the courtroom in 2024-25.
Nevertheless, hamstring soreness compelled him to overlook all the preseason. Then when wholesome sufficient to return, his play underwhelmed. He was struggling on protection. His offensive manufacturing was nothing to brag about. And his effort on the glass left a lot to be desired.
Probably the most regarding facet of Claxton’s early-season struggles was his mood. Technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections had been piling up for a man who often did an honest job preserving his feelings in verify.
Claxton averaged 11.8 factors, 9.9 rebounds and a pair of.5 blocks in 71 video games final season. By his first 41 video games this season, he’s averaging 9.7 factors, 7.6 rebounds and a pair of.0 blocks — not horrible stats for an NBA middle by any means, however Claxton has already confirmed he’s able to higher.
That’s why he obtained paid.
“I don’t really like to make excuses. I just need to be better,” Claxton stated. “I just need to be more locked in, that’s all.”
In Claxton’s protection, taking part in for a tanking staff will be wildly irritating. He’s additionally been taking part in via decrease again points that can take some time to clear up. To not point out the Nets had a severe void at level guard within the video games following the Dennis Schröder commerce. D’Angelo Russell’s presence has supplied some stability in that regard, however he’s been battling accidents of his personal.
Then there’s the scheme. Underneath Fernandez, Claxton has been requested to blitz and lure ball handlers on the perimeter, which is one thing he didn’t do typically final yr or at any level in his profession. That’s taken some getting used to as properly, and mastering this stuff take time.
“[It’s] different,” Claxton stated. “At the end of the day, if we’re blitzing, I just have to do it to the best of my ability.”
Fernandez says Claxton wants to stay affected person with himself. Success will finally include further reps in his schemes. He doesn’t need Claxton to only hang around below the rim and look forward to alternatives to return to him. He desires his middle to disrupt actions all around the courtroom.
“I think that right now his pick-and-roll defense is what we want him to be,” Fernandez stated. “Aggressive, using his length and disrupting the basketball. And same thing when he’s the low man or he’s protecting the rim… And as a low man, you can go vertical, you can take charges, and you can block shots. He has to figure out which of the three, but he was great, and we want him to continue to do that and continue to develop from there.”
Claxton has had a stronger January. He averaged 10.5 factors, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per recreation in 15 appearances this month. He did shoot simply 51.2% from the sphere over that span, which highlights his struggles with ending across the rim.
Nevertheless, a season-high six blocks in Wednesday’s 104-83 defeat of the Charlotte Hornets gave Claxton hope that higher days are forward. Greater than something, it reminded him of how dominant he will be when locked in.
“Yeah, definitely,” Claxton stated. “I even spoke to Jordi; I want to be impactful on the defensive side of the ball. And that’s just my challenge, figuring out ways to do that within our defense and just having that consistency on that side of the ball especially.”
