As the Brooklyn Nets await the beginning of the 2024-2025 NBA season it makes sense to take a look at the players who shape the roster. We will look to see what each individual player brings to the table, what skills the Nets reasonably develop over the course of the season, and ultimately what their role will be. Up now is second-year power forward Noah Clowney.
What does Noah Clowney bring to the table?
The 20-year-old forward oozes potential on both ends of the floor, making him a key cog in the Nets rebuild. Standing at 6-10 210 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Clowney possesses a similar frame to that of teammate Nic Claxton. However, Clowney has some different skills which make him even more intriguing.
Defensively, he’s similar to Claxton in his ability to defend 1 through 5 on the floor and switch on to any matchup, while providing excellent rim protection evidenced by his 1.8 blocks per game in the G-League last season. Paired with Claxton, Clowney gives the Nets an elite defensive frontcourt duo whose unique skills can cause fits for opponents.
Offensively, he projects as an intriguing stretch-four. While not much of a creator with the ball in his hands, Clowney has shown at least some ability to knock down threes on decent volume with some success. Last season in the G-League he shot 33.9% from three on 2.9 attempts per game. During his limited NBA run last season, his percentage climbed to 36.4% on 1.4 attempts while playing just 16.1 minutes per game. Lastly, in Summer League this year he seemed to hit a new gear, connecting on 39.3% of his 5.6 attempts per game.
The three-point shooting is a major plus, but Clowney also displays excellent athleticism to serve as a rim-roller and cutter toward the basket without the ball in his hands.
Where can Clowney improve?
While Clowney is a ready-made weapon on the defensive end, the Nets would like to see some sustained improvements offensively in order to prove that he is the franchise building block they believe him to be.
First and foremost, while all signs point to him being a reliable catch-and-shoot three-point threat his limited NBA experience means that he’ll have to prove it over a larger workload against NBA defenses. One of the biggest indicators of three-point shooting prowess is actually free-throw percentage as research has shown a strong correlation between free-throw percentage and the ability to consistently knock down threes.
For Clowney, who shot just 64.9% from the charity stripe in college but a much improved 76.9% from the line last year in the G-League, that raises some questions as to just how prolific he can be from downtown. His sharing the floor with a non-shooter like Claxton depends on his ability to do this at a high enough rate and efficiency.
Secondly, given that the Nets will give Clowney ample opportunity to let it fly from three, is how well he can put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts while either driving to the rim or creating for others. Clowney will never be a primary ball handler, but the development of this skill is what separates role players from quality starters. He has the athleticism to make plays in these situations, the question is will he be able to tap into that while still playing in control?
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Lastly, you’d like to see him get stronger while not sacrificing his quickness and lateral agility, which make him such a Swiss army knife on defense. Like Claxton, his slim frame makes him a liability against burly skilled big men down low, but at just 20 years old his body is still developing to the point where he can probably add some muscle without sacrificing his athleticism. He’ll probably never be elite against the Joel Embiid-level centers of the world, but players like Embiid are few and far between.
Noah Clowney’s 2024-2025 projected role
Here’s where things get tough to project for Clowney. While it’s clear that the Nets view him as a building block for the future, the frontcourt is crowded. The Nets have yet to trade veteran forwards Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith both of whom could soak up some minutes at the four. They also have another intriguing young power forward in Trendon Watford who will command some minutes there.
Clowney could play some minutes at center, but reserve center Day’Ron Sharpe might be the more logical fit as he has the necessary bulk required to handle larger centers down low while providing elite rebounding. Long-term the best fit for the Nets is to play Clowney and Claxton together in order to maximize their defensive prowess and leverage their superior athleticism to create mismatches on the offensive end.
With all that considered, it would not be a surprise to see Clowney brought along slowly to start the year. He may come off the bench as a reserve power forward and occasional center depending on matchups, before eventually moving into the starting lineup should the Nets be able to trade some of their veteran forwards at the trade deadline.
Down the stretch, it would not surprise to see Clowney crack the starting lineup at the power forward position and ultimately average about 25 minutes per game across the various roles he’s likely to play this season.