Though the Brooklyn Nets wound up getting swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, you have to give it to them. The Nets are a tough and gritty team that forced the Sixers — including 2023 NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid — to adjust and didn't make any of the wins easy for them.
In fact, after Embiid averaged 33.1 points per game on 54.8 percent shooting in the regular season, the Nets held the big man to 20.0 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field. Embiid also turned the ball over constantly, tallying 15 turnovers in the three games that he played in.
So, Nets center Nic Claxton gets a pass for his recent Instagram post, one that features him standing over Embiid in the first photo and a caption that says, “Standing on Business.”
Claxton, who averaged 10.5 points on 72.0 percent shooting from the field and 1.8 blocks per game in that series, will be on the final season of his contract with the Nets in 2023-24.
With a big contract year coming up for him, there's even more reason to believe that he'll come out with fire next season. Aside from the fact the last slide on his Instagram post were the lyrics “I would say try again next year / But next year will probably be my best year”, that is.
Claxton and the Nets will be looking to get back in the playoffs in 2024.
However, they have a lot of work and a lot to prove on their way there.
Can they manifest destiny?
Or is Claxton only blowing smoke amid his growing beef with Embiid?
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