Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has missed five consecutive games after suffering an ankle injury during the team's season opener. During that time, the Nets have been calling the breakout center “day-to-day.”
However, Claxton revealed Saturday that he's dealing with a high ankle sprain, which is more severe and carries a longer recovery time than the more common low ankle sprain.
“I mean, it's a high ankle sprain. I don't know if anybody, if any of y’all have ever dealt with a high ankle sprain. It's my first time; it's not fun,” Claxton said. “It's pain tolerance, it’s being good just mentally. You know, you don't want to go out there and put yourself in a bad position especially so early in the season. So I'm just taking it day by day.”
Nic Claxton injury timeline
While rehabilitation timelines for high ankle sprains may vary substantially based on the case, a full return to play typically takes 6-8-plus weeks, per the National Library of Medicine.
Nic Claxton injured the ankle while taking a hard fall after his feet got tangled with Cleveland's Damian Jones running down the floor. While he finished the game, the 24-year-old was noticeably hobbled and spent the next few days in a walking boot.
Claxton admitted the injury is taking longer to heal than he expected and said the Nets are taking a cautious approach early in the year.
“After a couple of days, I saw it was taking a little bit longer than I expected and everybody expected,” Claxton said. “It's frustrating, but it's an 82-game season, so what can you do? I'm not going to put myself in harm's way. I'm just taking it day by day.
“Sometimes it's good being able to kind of take that step back. Obviously, you want to play all 82-plus games out of the season, but it is what it is. So really just watching, seeing how everybody is playing, and seeing the ways that I can help, and just keeping that dialogue open between me and the coaches.”
Claxton emerged as one of the NBA's top defenders last season, tying Jaren Jackson Jr. for the league lead in stocks (steals + blocks) with 254 and finishing 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The former second-round pick also made significant strides offensively as a roll-man and self-creator, leading the league in field goal percentage (70.5).
With Claxton sidelined, head coach Jacque Vaughn has embraced a small-ball identity with Ben Simmons and Dorian Finney-Smith in the frontcourt. While the Nets' offense has seen success with the three-point-heavy, five-out attack, their defense has suffered, ranking 24th during that span.
Claxton should be sidelined for an extended period given his admission of a high ankle sprain. However, the fifth-year center said he's progressing while doing physical therapy, icing regularly, and even working through on-court exercises.
“Honestly, it's just how it progresses. I've been doing more on the court, just trying to get my confidence, put more pressure on it. We'll see how these next days go,” Nic Claxton said. “It's been frustrating, especially getting hurt the first game of the season, and even the way I did it. But it's coming along. I'm day-to-day now. Just trying to keep myself in a good space, keeps supporting my teammates.”
The Nets are 3-3 on the season after Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics.
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