The Brooklyn Nets rested most of their rotation against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday on the back end of a back-to-back. While they fell 144-122 with Milwaukee pulling away late, several Nets rookies impressed during the first extended action of their NBA careers.

Among those players was 2023 first-round pick Noah Clowney, who posted 14 points, four rebounds and two assists on 6-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes. Following the matchup, Clowney – the NBA's fourth-youngest player at 19 years, 167 days – was asked for his top takeaway from facing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 23-8 Bucks.

“That I can compete, to be honest,” the rookie replied. “I was nervous coming in. We’re playing the Bucks, and it’s a good team [with] a lot of big guys, so I was a little nervous coming, ain’t gonna lie. But once I got out there, it’s just being comfortable and knowing I can compete at this level.”

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Jalen Wilson, the 51st pick in the 2023 draft, led Brooklyn with 21 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive) on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. The Kansas product's 11 made free throws are the most by any rookie this season. He is also the first Nets rookie with a 20-point, 10-rebound game since Mason Plumlee in 2014.

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Entering Wednesday, Wilson had appeared sparingly over Brooklyn's last nine games amid several injuries to the bench. A four-year college player and the 2023 unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year, the 23-year-old's experience was evident during his first extended NBA action. Wilson routinely outworked Milwaukee on the offensive boards and did an admirable job defending Antetokounmpo in spurts.

Those intangibles could earn him a rotation role in the near future.

“Having a coach’s trust is a really big thing,” Wilson said of his mindset. “When you check in the game, you don’t wanna think about yourself, but how can I make the guys around me better? How can I take the score or lead from whatever it is and extend it? That’s just all I try to do is go out and play hard.”

“I feel like if you play defense, rebound, those intangible things, I find that’s the quickest way to earn trust from not only my coach but my teammates as well. I feel like that’s very important to have your teammates’ trust, knowing that when you’re guarding somebody they know that you’re good over there and stuff like that. Just being able to have these opportunities has been great and I just look forward to the future.”

Dariq Whitehead, the 21st pick in the 2023 draft by the Nets, played 21 minutes Wednesday, posting two points, four rebounds and three assists on 1-of-5 shooting. The nation's second-ranked player in the class of 2022, Whitehead is returning from a pair of foot surgeries after a fracture derailed his freshman season at Duke.

The New Jersey native is the NBA's second-youngest player at 19 years, 149 days. He's averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 36/31/84 shooting splits over 13 G-League appearances.