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It seemed like the Brooklyn Nets were going to taper off sooner than later after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving away prior to the NBA trade deadline. After all, not only does losing players as talented as those two drastically make a team worse, integrating a bunch of new pieces that they acquired in return, such as Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie, isn't quite as easy as it seems. But on Tuesday night, one of the Nets' most promising holdovers, Nic Claxton, showed why the Nets still have enough pieces to make life a living hell for most teams on most nights.
With less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter, and the Nets leading the Houston Rockets by nine, 65-56, Bridges had the task of inbounding the ball from the sidelines. Claxton looked like he was about to set a screen for Dinwiddie to get the ball on top of the key. However, Claxton had other, more destructive things in mind.
After seeing Alperen Sengun overplay the screen, Nic Claxton quickly cut towards the hoop and Mikal Bridges astutely recognized this heady play from the Nets center. Bridges threw a lob for Claxton, and Claxton caught it with ease, hammering down an impressive poster jam over Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr.
NIC CLAXTON POSTER SLAM ON THE LOB 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VZxYBRgHTB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2023
Surely enough, Claxton's dunk caused an uproar for Nets fans, who deem their starting center as one of the reasons they have to be excited for their Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving-less future.
https://twitter.com/ClaxtonDPOY/status/1633294566877962245
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KEEP UP THIS AGGRESSION CLAX
— Jack🍇 (@ClaxtonDPOY) March 8, 2023
Ok Nic Claxton
— Dani 💙♍ (@DaniBlue917) March 8, 2023
Amid all the roster turnover for the Nets, some hope that Nic Claxton would end up calling Barclays Center his home for the foreseeable future.
Nic Claxton is a SPECIAL basketball player.
He is probably the most impactful player on the Nets, and boy do I hope he stays in Brooklyn long-term.
— Jac Manuell (CT & Clowney Obsessed) (@JacManuell) March 8, 2023
Claxton's development as the player he is nowadays is nothing short of impressive. Drafted 31st overall in 2019, Claxton has fashioned himself into one of the best rim protectors/rim-runners in the NBA. Through 61 games this season, the 23-year old center is averaging 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and perhaps most importantly, 2.6 blocks per night.
At this point, it will not be surprising if Claxton manages to win a Defensive Player of the Year award in the coming years. But at least against the Rockets on Tuesday night, it's his burgeoning offensive game that is standing front and center.
