With Summer League now in our review, it’s time to start looking at how the pieces will fit for the Brooklyn Nets in the upcoming season. One of the biggest questions heading into Summer League was whether or not second-year big man Noah Clowney could stretch the floor and play the floor enough to play alongside newly minted $100 million dollar man, Nic Claxton.
When the Nets took Clowney with the 21st overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft, some thought that would spell the end of Claxton’s tenure in Brooklyn with him entering a contract year. In the modern NBA, two big alignments are almost unheard of as floor spacing is key. Some, on the other hand, believed Clowney could develop enough skill from beyond the arc the two big men could play alongside each other.
How do the Nets’ two bigs fit next to each other offensively?
Both tall, lanky players Claxton measuring in at 6-11 215 pounds and Clowney at 6-10 210 pounds make for a true “twin towers” type of alignment in the front court. Both players are uber-athletic and use that athleticism to make plays on both ends of the court.
Coming out of Georgia, scouts noted Claxton’s ability to handle the ball and pass better than the average big while expressing some hope that he could develop an outside shot. These guard-like skills were developed due to a couple of large growth spurts he underwent in high school which saw him start out playing guard, later transitioning to center.
Those guard skills haven’t translated much on the offensive end in the NBA just yet. Claxton shows good form on his jump shots from beyond the arc, but rarely attempts them with just 19 attempted threes in five seasons. At 25 years old, there’s still the potential for some growth.
As is, Claxton has settled into a role as a modern rim-running center, who is a solid rebounder. Last season, he averaged 11.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, showing off his ability to be a double-double threat nightly. Most of his damage on the offensive end comes as a roller in pick-and-roll sets, putbacks, and other second-chance opportunities.
The concern upon drafting Clowney was that he would be a similar offensive player. At 6-10 210 pounds, he has a similar body type to Claxton and is similarly athletic as a springy big man type. In college, scouts noted that he had some potential with his three-point shot with solid form, though he only made 34 threes and shot 28.3% from beyond the arc.
The biggest question with him regarding his ability to play alongside Claxton is whether or not he can shoot with enough volume and efficiency to play as a stretch-4. In the G-League last season, he started to answer that question putting up a 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game stat line while shooting 33.9% from three on 2.9 attempts per game.
While encouraging, that three-point shooting performance was on the cusp of not being efficient enough while also not generating enough volume. Fans and analysts looked to Summer League to see if he had developed any further shooting from deep.
Albeit just a five-game sample size, Clowney looked both more confident and more efficient from downtown this summer. En route to averaging 13.8 points a game, Clowney shot a superb 39.3% from deep on 5.6 attempts per game. Even if his volume and efficiency were to decrease a bit in the regular season, if he can shoot roughly 35% or better on 4 or more attempts per game he will become enough of a threat to stress a defense and make the spacing work with his rim-running teammate.
While neither player looks to be an offensive engine moving forward, the both project to be solid complementary pieces with the skillset to play off one another and accentuate each other’s strengths. As the Nets grow and develop, they should be two plus pieces on this end of the floor once paired with a true playmaker.
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On the defensive end, the pairing will really shine
While the pair has the potential to both be solid contributors on the offensive end, defensively is where they have elite ceilings. In the modern era of “positionless basketball” plodding centers and power forwards that camp out in the paint have become nearly extinct. In today’s game, big men are tasked with doing much more than simply protecting the rim.
Claxton has already established himself as one of the most unique and dynamic defensive players in the game. The agility and athleticism he possesses combined with his experience playing guard in high school have made him an exceptional perimeter defender, while his 7-foot-2 inch wing span gives him the ability to contest shots and protect the rim at elite levels.
Truly able to guard one through five on the court, Claxton is something of a unicorn who brings incredible switchability to a defense. He’s capable of playing as the primary defender against the opponent’s number one offensive option pretty much regardless of what position that player plays.
Over the past two seasons, he’s ranked fourth in defensive rating (108.2) in 2022-2023, and fourteenth (111.0) in 2023-2024. He put up 2.5 blocks per game in 2022-2023 and 2.1 blocks per game last season. In particular, his stellar defensive performance in 2022-2023 earned him a ninth-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Clowney brings more of the same. Armed with a similar 7-foot-2-inch wing span Clowney has the ability to be a menace at the rim and in the passing lanes as well. Last season in the G-League 1.8 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. His athleticism, agility, and size also make him someone who can potentially guard 1 through 5 on the court and be able to switch at will.
On display in Summer League was also his superb recovery ability. He’s able to regain himself, get back to the basket, and contest shots with his length in a hurry even if beaten initially off the dribble. The obvious test for him will be to see if all of these positive traits show out consistently with the increased level of competition at the NBA level.
The one Achilles heel for both players is that neither has the requisite bulk and strength to hang with the largest centers down low. Fortunately, in this day and age, there aren’t many like that still, but a player like Joel Embiid could give them fits as their thin frames are a poor match for elite strength.
All in all, having two young bigs with the ability to guard one through five, create havoc in the passing lanes, serve as elite rim protectors, and possess the athleticism to recover and contest if beaten off the dribble is a huge advantage. It will allow the Nets to build a stifling, aggressive, switch-based defense and could start paying dividends as early as this season. Don’t be surprised if the Nets are a good defensive team this season, especially when these two are sharing the court.
Development is key
The 2024-2025 season is all about player development, and these two young bigs are at the center of it. If their defensive skills hold true and they both continue to ascend and develop offensively, the Nets will have two real cornerstones moving forward. Moreover, they fit together in a way that is both uncommon in the modern NBA but also can do exactly what is required to be successful at the power forward and center positions. That uniqueness makes them a very intriguing storyline to watch moving forward, and gives Brooklyn a big advantage over their opponents.