Nets’ Nic Claxton believes he can be one of the better two-way players in the NBA
Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has shown a different side of his game ever since last season when he initially showed the NBA world how good he can be. He also showed that he could be the same player whether he was playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or sharing the court with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
Claxton, 24, is in his fifth season in the league after being the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of the University of Georgia, is having a similar season to what he was doing last year. He had a slow start to this campaign after missing eight of his first nine games due to a left high-ankle sprain that he suffered in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since coming back from his ankle injury, Claxton is averaging 12.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 67.4% from the field. In a season where the Nets now sit at 13-13 after a tough five-game road trip on the west coast, Brooklyn is back home looking to string together some wins to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Claxton recently sat down with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and answered various questions about himself and the Nets. One of the questions that Claxton was asked was what his ceiling is as a player. This is how Claxton answered:
“One of the better two-way players in the league. Offensively, given the opportunity, being that guy that can go out and average around 15 points. At the end of the day, I know what I’ll hang my hat on will be on the defensive side of the ball.”
Claxton is soft-spoken, but what he says pack a punch in the way that his words show a confidence about himself that shouldn’t be a surprise given he has done recently in his career. With what Claxton has done over the past season and 26 games, he could earn himself a new contract averaging at least $20 million per year, according to what Scotto said that he was told by other NBA executives around the league.
