Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nets are right to double-down on homegrown talent Nic Claxton

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jul 14, 2024 5:39 PM ET

The Brooklyn Nets drafted Nic Claxton with the 31st pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. They recently signed him a four-year $97M contract extension.

Since entering the NBA, Claxton has emerged as an exciting rim-runner with the athleticism to grow into one of the best shot-blocking bigs in the league.

During a recent interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Brooklyn's head coach, Jordi Fernandez, shared his high hopes for Claxton's future with the franchise.

“I mean, he was our priority this summer,” Fernandez said. “He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, obviously age-wise and how he’s progressed all these years. And we — me personally, and the organization — believe that he’s still getting much better. [He can win] Defensive Player of the Year. He’s a good playmaker, he can be even a better playmaker. We’re excited about his development. We’re excited that he’s part of the organization for a long time.”

Claxton has played in 147 games over the last two seasons, starting all of them. In that span, he's averaging 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and two assists while converting his shots at a 66.7% clip. He is the sort of rim-runner that will become a double-double machine in the coming seasons.

Once his timing improves on the defensive end, he has the potential to lead the league in blocks.

By remaining with the Nets, Claxton has ensured he will receive a significant amount of playing time with a franchise that values his production and future potential. He's in a good position to continue improving his game while making an impact on the team that drafted him.

Brooklyn is backing its homegrown big man to become a foundational piece of their rebuild. Claxton has shown he's capable of shouldering the expectations and workload. Whether he can reach the front office's lofty targets for him remains to be seen.

Still, no matter what, he's one of the better young rim-runners in the NBA and will only continue to get better.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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