Brooklyn Nets: Will Noah Clowney Make a Jump in Year Three?

Sometimes a sophomore slump can be what a player needs to get their career on track.

Last season was a rough one for Brooklyn Nets power forward Noah Clowney, and that’s putting it kindly. Even before suffering a season-ending ankle sprain, the Alabama product was averaging 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, which seem like serviceable stats until you see that he was shooting 35.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.

Among all players who started at least 20 games for the Nets last season, Clowney’s field goal percentage was the worst. His injury-shortened season doesn’t allow him to qualify, but if he did, he would have finished with the worst field goal percentage in the NBA last year.

While these numbers are concerning regardless of how they’re spun, it is worth taking a few factors into account.

First of all, Clowney suffered four ankle sprains last season, an unusual and clearly impactful limitation that plagued him throughout the entire season. As a big, his limited mobility and balance likely impacted his ability to assert physical dominance and be much of a force around the rim.

Also, the third-year player seemed to be working through the kinks of adding a new dimension to his game last year. After attempting just 1.4 three-pointers per game during his rookie season, Clowney quadrupled that total, increasing it to 5.7 attempts per game. While shooting 33.3% from three isn’t particularly impressive, it does signal some potential for a player who previously hadn’t explored that part of his game at the professional level.

While speaking to reporters toward the end of last season, Nets head coach Jordi Fernández explained that Clowney had demonstrated some improvements during the second half of the season before his campaign was cut short.

“I think later in the season, in the last few games, he was a lot better, more efficient with his drives and less turnovers and more efficiency at the rim,” said Fernández. “He’s been working at it, and that’s one of the things, it’s like, you may not see the work, but the work has been there. And now for us to see results, we’re going to need a bigger sample size. And what he needs especially is games, and you know, that’s why we’re excited about next season and also excited about the summer, to put more work in.”

Unless rookie Danny Wolf makes tremendous strides during training camp, Clowney will likely be expected to kick off the season as Brooklyn’s starting power forward. 

While last season may have seemed like a step back, entering this season with a clean slate of health and the opportunity for significant playing time will give him the chance to get his career on track.