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After struggling to stay on the floor during his first three seasons, Nic Claxton's breakout 2022-23 campaign offers the Brooklyn Nets a building block as they turn the page to a new era.
Claxton was at the forefront of an improved Nets defense this season, tying Jaren Jackson Jr. for the league lead in stocks (steals + blocks) with 254. His presence as a rim protector and perimeter defender in Brooklyn's switch-heavy scheme earned him 10th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, where Jackson finished first.
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The Georgia product also made impressive strides offensively, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (70.5) while flashing an array of crafty moves and finishes as a self-creator.
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Claxton finished the year averaging 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds 1.9 assists and 2.5 blocks, all career-highs. That two-way dominance earned him fifth-place in the NBA's Most Improved Player voting. The 23-year-old said the breakout campaign raised his expectations of where he can rank in the NBA center hierarchy.
“Definitely. I think this year I kinda kicked the door down. Just showed everybody that I’m here and kinda put my name on the map,” Claxton said. “But now it’s just about consistency and taking it to another level. My expectations, they do go up, and I’m expecting a lot out of myself. But at the end of the day, that’s where you just get in the gym and just put the work in. All of that stuff will take care of itself.”
Asked Nic Claxton if the season he had shifted his own expectations for where he ranks among NBA centers:
“Definitely. I think this year I kinda kicked the door down, just showing everybody that I’m here. I kinda put my name on the map. Now it’s just about consistency and taking… pic.twitter.com/g9JTnuxEBt
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) April 23, 2023
Nic Claxton started 76 games this season, logging more minutes than he did in his first three combined. That availability was a product of a meticulous offseason spent with Brooklyn's trainers and performance staff, something he hopes to build upon again this summer.
“I think the biggest piece going forward is just staying healthy. Just being available, being out there getting reps,” Claxton said. “Availability is the best ability. When I’m out there I've continued to show that I’m going to grow.”
The 2022 trade deadline marked a turning point in Claxton's NBA story. After struggling to work his way back into shape early last season while recovering from a mystery illness, it appeared his days in a Nets uniform were numbered. Brooklyn was reportedly “very close” to a deal sending Claxton to the Toronto Raptors for a first-round pick, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe.
General Manager Sean Marks chose to hold onto the young big man, a decision that paid dividends. Claxton improved in the second half of 2021-22 before signing a two-year, $17 million contract last offseason. His work ethic and professionalism after signing the deal carried over to this regular season, drawing rave reviews from head coach Jacque Vaughn and Kevin Durant.
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“He understands what he has to do to become an impact player every night,” Durant said in January. “Once you figure out your role, the NBA is pretty simple if you put in that work every day. And that’s what he does. You just saw, he was the last guy off the floor just now. So, he’s taken that opportunity and seized the moment and is going out there playing great ball. That consistency is something that he’s been trying to build for the last couple of years, and you’re seeing it right now.”
KD on Nic Claxton's breakout:
“He understands what he has to do to be an impact player every night… You seen, he was the last guy off the floor just now. So, he’s taken that opportunity and seized the moment and is playing great ball." pic.twitter.com/anoPCoI8rz
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 24, 2023
“He’s done the work,” Vaughn said. “Whether that’s on an optional day when you have the option to shoot, to workout, to not workout. The majority of the time Nic Claxton is either finishing, working on his free throws, or working on his body. So it’s using those option days to put in the work, and I think you always get rewarded for your work.”
“It’s paying off for him. The preparation, the dedication to your craft to show up and be prepared every night, there’s something to it, and he’s getting rewarded for it.”
Claxton spoke Sunday about his eagerness to begin this year's offseason program. A primary focus: Adding muscle to a 6-foot-11-inch, 215-pound frame. Packing on some pounds is closer to a necessity than a luxury when assessing the big men in the Eastern Conference playoff picture: Joel Embiid (280 pounds), Rob Williams (237 pounds), Brook Lopez (282 pounds), Mitchell Robinson (240 pounds) and Bam Adebayo (255 pounds), to name a few.
“Things that I want to focus on, definitely getting stronger. Adding some good muscle, that’s big for me,” Claxton said. “That’s going to help my overall game. Continue to work on my free throw shooting. Just expanding my game, whether it’s maybe shooting a little more, and just continuing to thrive in the areas that I do.”
A year removed from nearly trading Nic Claxton, Marks now has his center under contract for $8.7 million in 2023-24, one of the best value deals in the NBA. Claxton's production this season has the Nets GM looking forward to another significant step forward when the former second-round pick takes the floor again next fall,
“There were some real bright spots here. We saw players take their games to new heights,” Marks said. “I talked to Nic Claxton just before and he's ready for another big offseason because he saw the benefits of what he did last offseason. I'm obviously biased, but he should be in the running for the most improved player, defensive player of the year. He should be running for a lot of things. I'm really proud of what Nic accomplished and that started this time last year.”
