Nic Claxton begins ramp up to return from non-COVID illness
Nic Claxton, the Nets’ big man in his third year, remained sidelined with an undisclosed illness Wednesday and could miss another week of action.
Claxton has been out of the rotation since the Nets’ Oct. 25 win over the Washington Wizards. The Nets have said he is sick with a non-COVID-19 illness, but head coach Steve Nash cited the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as a reason to withhold Claxton’s specific ailment.
Nash, however, said Claxton began his ramp-up to return to play on Wednesday, ahead of the Nets’ win against the Orlando Magic.
“I don’t know how long that process will take,” he said, “but I think they have to assess where he’s at, and then see how he goes, and then we’ll figure out when he can play again.”
Nash, of course, has more important matters to tend to than worrying about the availability of his third-year forward. He is still trying to steady his team with championship aspirations that is missing Kyrie Irving (ineligible, COVID vaccine).
Nash offered no concrete return date for Claxton, but estimated his return in potentially a week.
“With the number of priorities right now on my plate, I haven’t discussed the date for him to come back because I know it’s not tonight,” he said. “But hopefully in the next few days, we can kind of have a ballpark. But right now, I have nothing else for you on Nic’s return.”
The Nets put Claxton on a short-lived G-League assignment to train with the Long Island Nets, but he did not play in their 114-100 loss to the Delaware Blue Coats on Nov. 6. Nash said Claxton has not been healthy enough to workout with the team.
“He did a little bit of treatment, so to speak, but... he wasn’t on the court with the team,” he said.
The Nets have been rolling in Claxton’s absence. They won four in a row after he left the team with his illness and then lost the second game of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls. Claxton represents one of the most versatile defenders on the Nets’ roster with his ability to guard perimeter players and big men alike.
Claxton, however, has a history of being unable to stay on the floor for consistent periods of time. He had a shoulder injury as a rookie and knee tendinitis to start Year 2.
The Net still need him to contribute if they hope to win a championship, as all their other front court big men are on the tail end of their primes — each well into their 30s. Claxton represents the crossroads the Nets face; a franchise trying to compete for a championship today and develop the young talent of tomorrow.
Claxton averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and a block through his first four games of the season. His conditioning, however, continues to be a work-in-progress, as he has not been able to stay in games for extended periods of time without running out of gas.
