Nets GM names No. 1 offseason priority
Jordi Fernandez was introduced as the Brooklyn Nets head coach on Wednesday and said that he feels the team has a future Defensive Player of the Year on their roster.
General manager Sean Marks discussed the organization's No. 1 offseason priority when he took the podium.
Both statements involved center Nic Claxton.
The Nets selected the South Carolina product with the first pick of the second round (31st overall) during the 2019 NBA Draft and he's steadily improved over his first five seasons.
Claxton saw his playing time gradually increase from 2019-2022 before breaking out during the 2022-23 campaign.
The big man posted career highs that season in games played and started (76), as well as points (12.6), blocks (2.5) and minutes per contest (29.9). Claxton also shot an NBA-best (and career-high) 70.5% from the field, finished fifth in the Most Improved Player voting and ninth in the Defensive Player of the Year tally. His 2.5 rejections per game were tied for second in the league behind only Jaren Jackson Jr.
With superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out of the picture, Claxton and Mikal Bridges took on bigger roles in the 2023-24 season.
The lefty responded by averaging a near-double-double of 11.8 points and a career-best 9.9 rebounds per game across 71 contests. Claxton also averaged 2.1 blocks (eighth in the NBA) and a career-high 2.1 assists and shot 62.9% (fifth) from the field.
Having just turned 25 and coming off back-to-back big outputs, it wouldn't be a shock to see the former Gamecock crack the top 10, if not the top five, in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the coming seasons.
Claxton signed a two-year, $17.25M deal with the Nets in July 2022 and is entering unrestricted free agency.
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