Nic Claxton will not play in the Nets’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez said that Claxton has been dealing with hamstring soreness and did not participate in Thursday’s extended scrimmage. In June, the 25-year-old signed a $100 million extension to remain in Brooklyn for at least the next four years.
Claxton averaged 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks across 71 games last season while shooting 62.9% from the field. His status for the Nets’ second preseason game against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 14 is unknown at this time.
“It’s just soreness and what we’re doing is just precautionary,” Fernandez said.
Fernendez also said that forwards Trendon Watford and center Day’Ron Sharpe are also being evaluated for hamstring injuries, so there is a chance that the Nets’ frontcourt could be even thinner than expected on Tuesday.
Brooklyn will provide updates on Warford and Sharpe in the coming days. Watford appeared in 63 games last season, Sharpe 61.
“Other than that, everybody is doing great,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, today’s a big recovery day after three days of working really hard. Now we’re just trying to recover today, long flight, which is also going to impact their bodies, and that we’ll have a good practice once we get there the next day.
“Excited about going to San Diego. Excited about the first game, getting close to the season opener.”
SIMMONS SPEAKS
Speaking to reporters on Friday for the first time since Nets media day, Ben Simmons reiterated that he is feeling better than ever. He is ready to get back on the court and compete and is thankful for finally being healthy enough to do so.
“I feel physically ready to play at a high level,” Simmons said. “Last year, I got to the point where I was good enough to get on the court, but I wasn’t 100 percent. … It was what it was, but at the end of the day, I’m here now and this is the situation. I feel great, and I put a lot of time and work in.”
The Nets are expected to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference this season. However, similar to veteran teammate Dorian Finney-Smith, Simmons believes flying under the radar could give Brooklyn an edge.
“Of course, it’s a different vibe,” Simmons said. “There’s an expectation of a championship when you have guys like [Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving] on the court. Unfortunately, I wasn’t healthy enough to be out there with those guys, but this is what it is now. Guys want to get better and compete and I think that’s just got to be the mentality, regardless of what the situation is. It’s getting better every day.”
FREE THROW FUN
The Nets have had free throw competitions at the end of every practice this week. Players are split up into multiple groups and each group shoots at a different basket. So far, the team has responded well to it.
“When he gives us a lighter day like today, things are more fun, laid back, chill,” Noah Clowney said of Fernandez. “Even on the hard days he tries to have some fun.”
The exact rules of the competitions have not been made public but appear to follow a golf scoring system. Finney-Smith won Friday’s competition with a score of -27.
“He won the first week,” Fernandez said. “The coaches come up with really cool drills just to compete in shooting free throws as you guys know. But there’s no pressure or anything. It just becomes meaningless. And I think it’s good that we’re creative like this. The coaches have been great with this game. They call it like a golf tournament. And [Dorian] was the champ, the first champ.”
