Brooklyn Nets 2025-26 Season Player Grades: Nic Claxton

The 2025-26 season marked the seventh season in the NBA for Nic Claxton, who has spent his entire career as a Brooklyn Net.

On a roster filled with youth and new faces, Claxton is a known commodity for fans in Brooklyn. His play has been consistent at both ends of the court throughout his NBA tenure, and that didn't change this past season.

Claxton isn't a flashy player. He's not constantly posting double-doubles or making highlight reel plays. The reason he's such a valuable player is that Jordi Fernandez knows exactly what he's going to get from his center night in and night out. The Nets got that play out of Claxton this season, even if it wasn't his best year as a pro.

Claxton played in 69 games this past season, making 68 starts. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. His scoring was consistent with previous seasons in Brooklyn, but his rebounding numbers took a significant dip from the nearly ten boards a game he was grabbing two years ago.

He shot 57.1% from the field, a slight improvement from the 2024-25 season, but still lower than his career 62.2% field goal percentage. Playing with a primary scorer like Michael Porter Jr. no doubt affected Claxton's overall scoring numbers, but the organization would like to see his efficiency and rebounding get back to what it was a few years ago.

The most encouraging aspect of Claxton's game in 2025-26 was his passing. Those 3.7 assists per game were by far a career-best, almost doubling his previous season best. Those passing improvements were seen a ton throughout the season, and especially in a pair of games early on, where Claxton recorded the first two triple-doubles of his career.

On November 21, Claxton had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 113-105 win over the Boston Celtics. A few weeks later, on December 9, he posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 119-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Those two games showed the immense improvement that Claxton had made with his ability to distribute the basketball, a skill that he'll need to continue getting better with next season.

This was an up-and-down year for Claxton personally in what was a terrible year for the Nets as a team. There were times when he looked like the Claxton of previous years, paired with that improved passing. And there were other times where he was a non-factor in games. Luckily for the Nets, he's still just 27 years old and just entering his prime.

Brooklyn will need Claxton's consistency if they want to take another step next season. This past season was a stepping stone. Now it's time for the prime version of Nic Claxton to arrive and help carry the Nets back to contending.

Season grade: B