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The Brooklyn Nets were dealt another blow to their depleted frontcourt on Friday. Starting center Nic Claxton received an epidural injection due to a lower back strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the team announced. The timetable means Claxton will miss at least the Nets' next four games.
“I know it’s been an issue that’s been lingering a little bit with his lower back,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “He had an epidural, and right now, we have him being reevaluated in seven days… [We're] not super concerned. We want to keep him healthy. His body is the number one thing for us. And now it’s next man up.”
Jordi Fernandez on Nic Claxton's back injury and epidural:
"I know it’s been an issue that’s been lingering a little bit with his lower back… [We're] not super concerned. We want to keep him healthy. His body is the number one thing for us. And now it’s next man up.” pic.twitter.com/XW1Ah1gCWQ
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 15, 2024
Claxton has faced an uphill battle to reach full strength this season. The sixth-year center missed the entire preseason due to a hamstring injury. He began the year coming off the bench while on a minutes restriction before re-entering the Nets' starting lineup during their last four games.
The 25-year-old has struggled to reach his usual level of production after signing a four-year, $97 million contract this summer. He's averaged 8.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game.
How Nets will manage Nic Claxton's extended absence
Brooklyn is already without backup center Day'Ron Sharpe, who has been sidelined since training camp due to a hamstring injury. The Nets are expected to update the 23-year-old's in the next week. In the meantime, they will play without a traditional center.
Ben Simmons will start in place of Claxton. Fernandez has staggered Simmons and Claxton's minutes this season, playing the former in a point-center role. Noah Clowney and Dorian Finney-Smith should also see time at the position as small-ball options.
While the Nets will be undermanned for several games, Fernandez is confident in his team's ability to remain competitive. The first-time NBA head coach said he gained experience shuffling lineups during his years as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers' G-League affiliate.
“I think that comes from being an NBA G League Head Coach. It's like you get thrown into a fire, and your roster changes, and you just got to keep playing and move on and find five guys that are going to play, going to play the right way,” Fernandez said. “A lot of times you have to just simplify things. You put five guys on the court. You help them, be positive with them. If you have five plays, maybe you run three, but you have to run them very well.”
“My first year in the G-League I had 19 players throughout the year. My second year, I had 29. So you can imagine how that's the mentality. Changes happen… So that's our mentality. Not just me, but also the rest of the guys. Somebody's going to start in Nic's place, that player is going to play hard, and we're going to have a 10-man rotation, and we're going to go from there.”
The Nets will face a difficult test in their first games without Claxton. Fernandez's squad will play the New York Knicks in back-to-back matchups at Madison Square Garden on Friday and Sunday.
They'll then host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday before departing for a four-game road trip with matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
