Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton is targeting the team's regular season opener for his return from a hamstring injury. Claxton missed Brooklyn's first preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday due to hamstring soreness. Head coach Jordi Fernandez said on Thursday that the fifth-year big man is working through his recovery process, and the team is unsure whether he'll appear in their three remaining preseason games.
Claxton, the Nets' longest-tenured player, has emerged as one of the NBA's top defenders over the last two seasons. He ranks fourth in stocks (steals + blocks) during that span, behind only Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez. Claxton signed a four-year, $97 million extension with Brooklyn this summer and will be a focal point of their scheme on both ends of the floor.
Who can the Nets use at center without Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Shapre?
Nets backup center Day'Ron Sharpe is also dealing with a hamstring injury and will be out for at least six weeks. With Claxton and Sharpe sidelined, Fernandez started Ben Simmons in a point-center role against the Clippers. The three-time All-Star has been most successful with the Nets in five-out lineups surrounded by shooters, allowing him to act as a ball-handler in transition but a screener and roller in the halfcourt.
Tuesday's preseason opener was Simmons' first game in over seven months after he underwent back surgery in May. The former No. 1 pick posted two points, two rebounds and three assists on 1-of-5 shooting in 13 minutes.
Noah Clowney played center with Brooklyn's second unit, posting three points, three rebounds and three assists on 1-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes. While the 2023 first-round pick projects as a power forward long-term, he played center in the G-League during his rookie campaign, averaging 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 52 percent shooting over 34 appearances.
With Sharpe sidelined, Simmons and Claxton are Fernandez's top options to fill backup center minutes behind Claxton early this season.
“Noah can help us there with his size. He did a good job [on Tuesday]. And Ben, as you guys know, he’s a big point guard,” Fernandez said. “Defensively, he can play in [pick-and-rol] coverage. He can switch, he rebounds, he runs. It was pretty good to see that he could rebound and go from end to end so fast and we still got to get used to playing with him… So those are the groups that we have right now, and we're gonna keep looking at them.”
The Nets open the regular season on the road against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 23.