Nic Claxton appeared in 15 games for the Nets during the 2019-20 NBA season. That year, Kyrie Irving was limited to just 20 games because of a shoulder injury. Spencer Dinwiddie had to carry the team down the stretch.
Claxton, then a 20-year-old rookie out of Georgia, was battling for minutes at center behind Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan. He saw Kenny Atkinson, the head coach that drafted him, get fired after a 28-34 start. And he watched from the bench as Brooklyn was eventually swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. He was labeled as a project and stashed away.
The Nets were in the midst of a rebuild back then. Claxton was just an intriguing prospect trying to prove his worth. Irving’s first season with the team was crippled by injuries — he shared the court with Claxton only five times. But general manager Sean Marks would lure Kevin Durant to Brooklyn in free agency the following summer, then make an in-season trade for James Harden, and suddenly the Nets became true contenders in the Eastern Conference — even if it lasted only a while.
Claxton was there through it all. Through the highs and lows. Through the excitement of Brooklyn’s former Big 3, the coaching changes and playoff disappointment. And each season he still managed to get better.
Now six seasons removed from a rookie campaign in which he struggled to crack the rotation, the 25-year-old has transformed himself into the Nets’ starting center and one of the better two-way players in the league. Last season, he finished eighth in the NBA in total blocks (146), 21st in the league in field goal percentage among centers (62.9), 14th in total rebounds collected among centers (706) and recorded 30 double-doubles across 71 games.
In his first taste of free agency, Claxton was viewed as the best available center and reportedly had plenty of suitors lined up. But Brooklyn was home. He quickly agreed to a new four-year, $100 million deal to remain with the Nets just hours ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. Speaking to reporters at Nets Media Day on Monday, Claxton described the moment he put pen to paper as “surreal”.
“Just an organization that has loved me from Day 1,” Claxton said. “They appreciate my work and I feel the same about them, so it was a pretty easy decision to make and I’m happy to be back,”
And similar to his rookie season, Claxton finds himself in the middle of another rebuild after Irving, Durant and Harden forced their way out of Brooklyn years ago, and more recently, Marks traded former star forward Mikal Bridges to the Knicks in June. However, things are different for Claxton this time around. He is obviously a far better center than he once was. He is the longest-tenured player on the Nets roster, and that means something.
With experience comes responsibility. Claxton is not taking his newfound obligations lightly.
“I just know I have a lot of work to do, I have a lot of growing to do, and I want to help the younger players go and sign a $120 million contract,” Claxton said. “I’ve grown up a lot, matured a lot, been through a lot, seen a lot as far as life… As far as basketball, my growth has been astronomical. Coming in, not having a spot on the team and just grinding my way up. And I’m just blessed to be here.”
Claxton will have increased responsibility at both ends of the court in 2024-25. Centers, like Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, have historically been the primary playmakers in Jordi Fernandez-led offenses. That means Claxton will have the ball in his hands more often. For the first time in his career, he will be asked to create for his teammates. He has averaged just 1.6 assists per game across his first five seasons but believes his game will continue to evolve under Fernandez — who also said that he views Claxton as a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Fernadez visited Claxton while he was training in Dallas over the summer to discuss offensive fit and to help him sharpen his passing.
“It means a lot having a coach that believes in you,” Claxton said of Fernandez. “He’s said that in his interviews and press conferences from Day 1. Now it’s just time for us to get on the same page and sync up. I think it’ll be good having some stability from coaches. I’ve had a lot of coaching changes and that’s just a part of the journey, but it’ll be good just being able to find some cohesiveness with him.
“It’s definitely exciting just knowing that I’ll have the ball in my hands a little bit more on the offensive side. I mean, everybody wants to have the basketball in their hands. The basketball has energy and the more you have the ball in your hands, the more confidence you have to make plays, whether it’s plays for your teammates, plays for yourself. [Nikola Jokić and Domantas Sabonis], two extremely, extremely talented bigs in our league and I watch those guys. Hopefully I can utilize some of the ways they play, especially their passing, and add that to my game.”
However, Fernandez does not want Claxton to be Jokić or Sabonis. He just wants his starting center to be the best version of himself.
“I need Nic to be Nic,” Fernandez said. “Me and the rest of the coaching staff will help him with giving him those touches where he can be more of a playmaker. Obviously, he’s a great player screening and rolling to the rim, so I’m not worried about him trying to be those guys.”
However, beyond his new offensive responsibilities, Claxton must now embrace the mentorship role and help guide his younger, less experienced teammates, like second-year forward Noah Clowney. He must be a more vocal leader on and off the court while leading by example as well. That is the biggest individual leap Claxton wants to make this season — not bettering his rebounding averages or expanding his range.
Because every rebuild needs the right pieces. Brooklyn wants Claxton to be the foundation.
“Obviously our commitment with him, he was our priority, one of our priorities this summer, and we’re very happy to have him right now in the long term,” Fernandez said. “So, his role, his leadership, that’s what’s going to change. Right now, he has to be an example for the younger guys, but for everybody else, he has to lead by example.
“He should be there for Defensive Player of the Year. His playmaking should go up. We’ll play through him with dribble handoffs, catches at the elbow, and he’s pretty good at play making for others, same as putting pressure on the rim. And it’s not just for him to finish, but also to open up the three point line. So very excited, because he’s going to be an important piece for us.”
