Have We Forgotten How Elite Nets Big Man Nic Claxton Is on Defense?

The 2024-25 campaign was frustrating for all parties involved with the Brooklyn Nets. Sure, the franchise was navigating year one of a complete teardown, but losing 56 games in one season can't be fun.

Amid the difficulties was starting big man Nic Claxton, who played 70 games in the first year of the four-year, $97 million deal he inked with the Nets last summer. His stats weren't anything special—just over 10 points, seven rebounds and one block per game—potentially discouraging some fans after he showed tons of promise from 2022-2024.

Yes, the numbers were down. But, in honor of NBA Defense Week on X, it's time to remind the basketball world just how elite of a defender Claxton really is.

Remember, prior to last season, Claxton was viewed as a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate—because he was one. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 2.5 blocks per game, trailing only Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., who took home DPOY honors that year.

The feat led Claxton to land ninth in voting for the award, which gave Brooklyn's anchor league-wide recognition.

Now, there are two likely factors that contribute to the lack of noise Claxton's name often generates. First, the Nets are bad. They're entering year two of a full-fledged teardown and need time to return to contention. Not many teams with records under .500 manage to keep their players dominating headlines, and that unfortunately seems to be the case for Claxton.

Second, his lack of offensive progression in 2024-25 made people write him off as "just another inside big." Yes, Claxton doesn't step behind the three-point line and space the floor as a prototypical big in the modern NBA would. He may not be as exciting offensively as a Nikola Jokic or even Brook Lopez, but Claxton still manages to get the job done.

This is purely optics. If Claxton's nightly scoring average took another jump as it did in the two seasons prior to last while the Nets battled in the playoffs, maybe the overall view of the 26-year-old would be different.

Now presumably fully bought into head coach Jordi Fernandez's philosophy and style of play, this upcoming season could see a return to form for Claxton.

And with the addition of Michigan product Danny Wolf at the power forward spot—who is an excellent rebounder compared to 2023 first-rounder Noah Clowney—the paint could be wide open for Claxton to dominate come 2025-26.