Nic Claxton’s play has steadily improved for Nets after ugly start to the season

Entering this season, Nets caput manager Jordi Fernandez went retired of his mode to prop up Nic Claxton arsenic a aboriginal Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The homegrown halfway whitethorn inactive triumph the grant someday, but it surely won’t beryllium this year.

Claxton was the Nets’ No. 1 precedence successful escaped bureau past offseason, and they gave him a four-year, $100 cardinal extension. As the team’s longest-tenured player, helium was expected to measurement into a enactment relation for the rebuilding franchise and instrumentality leaps astatine some ends of the tribunal successful 2024-25.

However, hamstring soreness forced him to miss the full preseason. Then erstwhile steadfast capable to return, his play underwhelmed. He was struggling connected defense. His violative accumulation was thing to brag about. And his effort connected the solid near overmuch to beryllium desired.

The astir concerning facet of Claxton’s early-season struggles was his temper. Technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections were piling up for a feline who usually did a decent occupation keeping his emotions successful check.

Claxton averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks successful 71 games past season. Through his archetypal 41 games this season, he’s averaging 9.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks — not unspeakable stats for an NBA halfway by immoderate means, but Claxton has already proven he’s susceptible of better.

That’s wherefore helium got paid.

“I don’t truly similar to marque excuses. I conscionable request to beryllium better,” Claxton said. “I conscionable request to beryllium much locked in, that’s all.”

In Claxton’s defense, playing for a tanking squad tin beryllium wildly frustrating. He’s besides been playing done little backmost issues that volition instrumentality a portion to wide up. Not to notation the Nets had a superior void astatine constituent defender successful the games pursuing the Dennis Schröder trade. D’Angelo Russell’s beingness has provided immoderate stableness successful that regard, but he’s been battling injuries of his own.

Then there’s the scheme. Under Fernandez, Claxton has been asked to blitz and trap shot handlers connected the perimeter, which is thing helium didn’t bash often past twelvemonth oregon astatine immoderate constituent successful his career. That’s taken immoderate getting utilized to arsenic well, and mastering these things instrumentality time.

“[It’s] different,” Claxton said. “At the extremity of the day, if we’re blitzing, I conscionable person to bash it to the champion of my ability.”

Fernandez says Claxton needs to stay diligent with himself. Success volition yet travel with further reps successful his schemes. He doesn’t privation Claxton to conscionable bent retired nether the rim and hold for opportunities to travel to him. He wants his halfway to disrupt actions each implicit the court.

“I deliberation that close present his pick-and-roll defence is what we privation him to be,” Fernandez said. “Aggressive, utilizing his magnitude and disrupting the basketball. And aforesaid happening erstwhile he’s the debased antheral oregon he’s protecting the rim… And arsenic a debased man, you tin spell vertical, you tin instrumentality charges, and you tin artifact shots. He has to fig retired which of the three, but helium was great, and we privation him to proceed to bash that and proceed to make from there.”

Claxton has had a stronger January. He averaged 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per crippled successful 15 appearances this month. He did sprout conscionable 51.2% from the tract implicit that span, which highlights his struggles with finishing astir the rim.

However, a season-high six blocks successful Wednesday’s 104-83 decision of the Charlotte Hornets gave Claxton anticipation that amended days are ahead. More than anything, it reminded him of however ascendant helium tin beryllium erstwhile locked in.

“Yeah, definitely,” Claxton said. “I adjacent spoke to Jordi; I privation to beryllium impactful connected the antiaircraft broadside of the ball. And that’s conscionable my challenge, figuring retired ways to bash that wrong our defence and conscionable having that consistency connected that broadside of the shot especially.”