Nic Claxton Articles - Page 5

Nic Claxton has put the league on notice during a breakout 2022-23 campaign. However, with the Brooklyn Nets facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Nets big man’s biggest challenge is still ahead of him: MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid. The Sixers center just turned in the best season of […]

CAMDEN, N.J. — As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, there are two key players on Brooklyn’s side to keep an eye on: Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton. Those two can give the Sixers a heap of trouble in the first round. Bridges has […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell from perennial contender status to a fringe playoff team following the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Through all the dysfunction of the last two-plus seasons, one viewpoint surrounding the Nets remained consistent: no one wanted to face them in a first-round series. That fear factor dissipated with the departures […]

The Brooklyn Nets will have four rotation players returning to their lineup ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Listed on the injury report for various maladies, guard Spencer Dinwiddie, wing Royce O’Neale, forward Cameron Johnson, and center Nic Claxton are available for tonight’s game, per HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa. This is […]

The Brooklyn Nets will be severely shorthanded when they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks Thursday. Nic Claxton (right thumb sprain/left Achilles tendinopathy), Cam Johnson (right knee soreness) and Royce O’Neale (left knee soreness) will all be out for the matchup. Claxton has been among the top defenders in the league while manning […]

For the past two seasons, the Houston Rockets have been the league’s doormat. In Year 3 of their rebuild, however, it seems like not much has changed, as they are currently on track to finish as the league’s preeminent cellar dwellers once more. But on Wednesday night, some Rockets players, such as Jalen Green, showed […]

Nets center Nerlens Noel will make his Brooklyn debut Tuesday at Houston after the team signed him to a 10-day contract Saturday. The 28-year-old struggled to carve out a role in Detroit early this year, playing just 12 games before eventually agreeing to a buyout. Noel, the 6th overall pick in the 2013 draft, ranked […]

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 […]

Jalen Green has some of the most impressive hops in the NBA today. The young Houston Rockets star showed just that on Tuesday night, and unfortunately for him, Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton ended up on the receiving end of a vicious poster dunk by Green. Claxton, who happens to be one of the […]

The New York Knicks convincingly won the latest battle for New York against the Brooklyn Nets, winning their seventh consecutive game by a score of 142-118. Several Knicks shined in the win, including big man Mitchell Robinson. As the Nets posted one of their worst defensive performances of the season, Robinson recorded 13 points, 10 […]

In the first half of Tuesday’s matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, Nic Claxton ended up being on the receiving end of a couple of Giannis Antetokounmpo facials. It seems that the Nets big man took that personally, and he decided to get his revenge. Unfortunately for Bucks center Brook Lopez, it […]

Kevin Durant called out Montrezl Harrell after the 76ers center dismissed Nic Claxton’s improvement this season before Philadelphia’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday. “Come on Montrezl, you was talking crazy. You not like that,” Durant said on his podcast, the ETCs. “You’re an enforcer as a basketball player, but you’re not that guy. Clax […]

The Brooklyn Nets entered the 2022-23 season headlined by a big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Durant and Irving have been brilliant while carrying Brooklyn up the Eastern Conference standings following a dysfunctional start. The duo was the league’s only pairing to be named All-Star starters Thursday. But it has been […]

Fans were tuned in to Wednesday’s marquee matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Even Kevin Durant, who continues to be sidelined by a knee injury, was an avid spectator of the highly-anticipated contest. So much so, that KD couldn’t help but go savage on Joel Embiid after seeing the Sixers star’s dunk attempt […]

Brooklyn Nets forward Nic Claxton has shown significant improvement over the course of this season, but there are a few who aren’t so impressed. Count Philadelphia 76ers forward Montrezl Harrell as one of those people who aren’t ready to count Claxton as a threat just yet. When Harrell was asked about Claxton’s impact on Brooklyn, […]

When Kevin Durant went down with a knee injury, all eyes immediately turned to Kyrie Irving as the man who will be tasked to steer the ship amid KD’s extended absence. It hasn’t just been Kyrie who has answered the call, though, with guys like Nic Claxton also stepping up to the plate in Durant’s […]

The Brooklyn Nets fought back from a 17-point deficit to pull within two in the last minute Sunday at Golden State. The majority of that comeback came on the back of Kyrie Irving, who finished with 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. However, in the game’s biggest moment, […]

Kevin Durant revealed what led to his offseason trade request while speaking at Nets Media Day in September. The former MVP said Brooklyn’s 11-game losing streak following his knee injury last year led to doubts in his mind about the team’s future. KD explaining his trade request at media day: Said he was unhappy with […]

The Brooklyn Nets found themselves in a dire spot late in the game against the Phoenix Suns. Down three with 6.6 seconds remained, Nic Claxton was sent to the free-throw line. The Kyrie Irving-led team decided that their best shot at winning was for Claxton to intentionally miss the free-throw shot and try to rebound […]

The Brooklyn Nets will lick their wounds after a tough 106-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. However, center Nic Claxton continued to build his case for  NBA Defensive Player of the Year by becoming the youngest player since Rudy Gobert to record three or more blocks in nine consecutive games. The low post area […]

Fresh off signing a two-year, $17 million extension with the Brooklyn Nets last offseason, Nic Claxton has put the NBA on notice as one of the league’s top defenders. The fourth-year center has transformed a Nets defense that struggled in recent years into the No. 9 unit in the league this season. Claxton is leading […]

The Brooklyn Nets have skyrocketed up the NBA standings after an extended hot streak. After winning 19 of their last 23, Brooklyn holds the league’s second-best record despite a 5-9 start. And several Nets received recognition for their stellar play in the first returns of the All-Star fan vote, including Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and […]

Thursday night’s marquee matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets had no shortage of action. At one point, Giannis Antetokounmpo got into it with Nets big man Nic Claxton as the pair ended up down on the floor after a botched layup attempt by the former back-to-back MVP. Claxton did not appreciate the […]

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton is in the midst of a breakout season. Claxton has started all 27 games for Brooklyn, posting career-highs across the board with 11.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. The 23-year-old leads the league in field goal percentage at 74.0 percent. Claxton’s high-level perimeter defense and rim protection […]

The Brooklyn Nets were dealt a tough injury blow on Friday as the team ruled out starting center Nic Claxton against the Atlanta Hawks due to right hamstring tightness. The big man is in the midst of a career year, starting 25 of 26 games while anchoring Brooklyn’s defense. Claxton ranks fourth in the league […]

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has adopted this mindset with Ben Simmons returning from a knee ailment amid a Brooklyn hot streak. Vaughn said Friday that Simmons will continue to come off the bench during a back-t0-back in Los Angeles this weekend. Simmons has struggled to open the […]

The Brooklyn Nets expected a significant jump from fourth-year center Nic Claxton when they signed him to a two-year, $17 million contract this offseason. Claxton has delivered thus far, posting back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his career to open the season. The big man provided a spark for Brooklyn in the second half […]

Ben Simmons played in his second game after a 470-day layoff on Thursday night against the Miami Heat. The rust was evident, with the former no. 1 pick posting four points, four assists and six turnovers in 25 minutes. There was a clear passivity to Simmons’ game in his first two contests, and the three-time […]

The Brooklyn Nets move into the 2022-23 season as a far deeper and more versatile team than last year. A busy offseason featuring a key trade and numerous free agent signings added several new faces to Brooklyn’s supporting cast. However, the Nets still have needs such as a floor-spacing center and backup point guard. And […]

It has been an eventful summer thus far for the Brooklyn Nets, to say the least. The good news is that it seems that the worst part is over now that both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have committed to return to the squad for the upcoming season. Nets big man Nic Claxton has shared […]

Go ahead and throw out all previous summer prognostications about the top of the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. Kevin Durant is recommitted to the Brooklyn Nets, guaranteeing his rebuilt team top-tier contender status after an offseason fraught with headline-grabbing drama. As long as Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons and the revamped Nets can move past […]

The Brooklyn Nets have found themselves in an undesirable spot in the 2022 NBA offseason. Their dreams for a championship was instantly squashed when both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving asked for a trade. Now, the team is desperately trying to salvage what is seemingly a lost situation for them. … or is it? Nic […]

The Brooklyn Nets were left scrambling after Kevin Durant requested a trade on Thursday, just hours before NBA free agency opened up. The bombshell trade request didn’t prevent the Nets from securing a couple of key pieces in free agency, as both Patty Mills and Nic Claxton have agreed to extend their stay in Brooklyn, […]

The Brooklyn Nets have to invest in two things: their superstars and their future. That means letting go of aging assets and avoiding depreciating free agents. Keep in mind that the Nets made the 2022 NBA Playoffs, but they got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. That was not supposed to happen. […]

The trajectory of the Brooklyn Nets’ entire offseason changed when Kyrie Irving announced his intention to opt into his 2022-23 player option, thus confirming his return to the team amid rumors of his potential exit. Irving’s decision had a clear domino effect, as superstar teammate Kevin Durant will now remain in Brooklyn as well. The […]

The Toronto Raptors bounced back from a horrific 2020-2021 season by finishing 5th in the Eastern Conference in 2021-2022. If they want to return to genuine title contention status, though, they need to make some moves in the 2022 NBA free agency period. First, the Raptors are well-positioned to contend now and in the future, […]

Aside from Kyrie Irving’s future with the team, the Brooklyn Nets have another decision to make in free agency: decide on whether or not they want to keep young center Nic Claxton. According to recent reports, however, the Nets are expected to retain Claxton for the right price. Claxton is a restricted free agent this […]

Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton shot a lot of free throws on Monday night as they suffered a deflating sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics. For his part, the Nets big man was on the wrong end of an embarrassing playoff record after his atrocious night at the free-throw line. Claxton just […]

NBA stars often tread carefully when asked about their free agency plans for future seasons. After all, when you’re still under contract with your current team, any talk of a potential move could serve as a distraction for the present season. Brooklyn Nets center Andre Drummond was in no mood for such frivolities. Andre Drummond […]