Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton ranked as 10th-best big under 25 years old
Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton made a considerable leap in his career during the 2022-23 season. Not only did he get better on the defensive end, though he was already pretty good on that side of the ball, he also showed some improvements to his offensive game, especially after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded away.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley listed Claxton as the 10th-best big man in the NBA under the age of 25. Buckley based his list on “bigs who will be under 25 by opening date and ranked them on their potential and likelihood of realizing it” meaning that part of the ranking is how likely the player is to reach his potential.
Claxton, who finished tied for ninth place in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award, seems to have reached his potential on defense. However, now that the Nets have Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Spencer Dinwiddie as the main scorers, Claxton may never get the chance to realize the potential of his offensive game.
What Buckley Had To Say About Claxton
“As a 24-year-old with four NBA seasons under his belt, Nic Claxton seems closer to his long-term identity than most players on this list. That’s largely a good thing, though it is fair to wonder just how much he’ll be able to add to his offensive arsenal moving forward.
Defensively, he’s already elite. He doubles as both a paint protector and a switchable stopper on the perimeter. He hasn’t made an All-Defensive team yet, but that feels like a matter of time. This past season, he landed in the 97th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus, per Dunks & Threes.
Offensively, he shines as a play finisher—he shot a league-leading 70.5 percent this past season—and keeps active on the glass. He also offers a pinch of playmaking on dribble hand-offs and short rolls, but the ball skills he flashed at Georgia may never fully materialize in this league.”
