Nicolas Claxton: ‘I’m one of the best defenders in the league’

The Brooklyn Nets‘ big man in the middle, Nicolas Claxton, means business heading into the new NBA campaign. Claxton was given the nod by head coach Steve Nash to start Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and he made sure to make the most of his opportunity. In 24 minutes, the 22-year-old scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Claxton also grabbed seven boards to add to his one steal and one block.

Claxton even recorded the second best plus-minus on the team at +26. A large part of his success stemmed from his activity on the defensive end. Claxton prides himself for his defense and that has been a department he has improved in year by year. This hunger to make defending a priority has been there since his rookie year.

“It really started with my guarding KD (Kevin Durant) when he was coming back from his injury,” said Claxton during Friday’s postgame press conference. “It’s something that I have gotten a lot more comfortable with. Being able to guard guards, something that I did in college. Like you said, I took a lot of pride in that. I feel like I’m one of the best defenders in the league.”

You can just see the confidence sizzling around the young big man as he heads into his third season more determined than ever. Claxton definitely has something special in store for the basketball world soon.