Brooklyn Nets Film Room: Noah Clowney Intrigues in Preseason Opener

With the Nets’ three other bigs missing due to minor injuries, Noah Clowney can potentially carve out a more consistent role in his second NBA season.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Preseason represents a real chance for Noah Clowney to carve out an early season role in his second season with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Clowney, who turned 20 this summer, showed flashes in his last couple of months as a rookie. But with the Nets’ other bigs — Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford — dealing with hamstring injuries in preseason, he can build on those and stake out a spot in head coach Jordi Fernández’s rotation. The roster, although expected to be gradually disassembled, is more loaded than given credit.

Claxton might still feature in the preseason, per Fernández, but Clowney should still get plenty of run — at the 4, if the former returns, and the 5, as was the case Tuesday night. In the Nets’ preseason opener against the Clippers, the former Alabama big finished with three points, three rebounds, three assists and three turnovers, but he showed some encouraging flashes.

Those intriguing signs from Clowney were both for himself and his development as a player, and also for what Fernández’s Nets might look like on offense for this season and ahead. Here’s what we learned from Clowney’s 16 minutes vs. the Clippers:

Fernández tapped into Clowney’s passing, which wasn’t specific to the 20-year-old big. The Nets’ other frontcourt options on the night, namely Ben Simmons but also Ziaire Williams to an extent, also got these possessions coming out of touches around the elbow or dribble hand-offs (DHO). The Spanish head coach has previously said Claxton will get these reps, as well.

In this first clip, Keon Johnson first sets a pindown screen for Cam Thomas, who has great leverage as a shooter. Clowney feints the DHO, keeps the ball, and instead finds the now-rolling Johnson for the dunk.

Here, Clowney gets the ball at the left elbow and zips an accurate bounce pass to the cutting Johnson. 

Johnson led the Nets in scoring on Tuesday's game in Oceanside, CA with 14 points but on 5-for-13 from the field. He was at his best when being set up and not creating his own shot, as was the case with these last two clips featuring Clowney.

This clip doesn’t end in an assist, but it shows some good footwork and a nicely executed read. Clowney runs the floor in transition and could elect to go for the hand-off to Jalen Wilson. 

The Brooklyn big keeps the ball, as in the first clip in this Film Room, and dishes it off to Cam Johnson who is trailing the play. The Nets’ wing can’t convert after the defensive effort from Nic Batum, but the overall process is solid.

Given that this was only one preseason game — and Clowney was on the court for a total of 16:16 minutes — it’s worth taking things slow and steady at this stage of the overall NBA calendar.

Right now, it’s more about fishing for hints and trying to see what decisions are being made. This is even more so the case when a team is operating under a new head coach, as is the case with the Nets and Fernández. 

Before preseason, the 41-year-old Badalona native mentioned that Clowney would be tried at both the 4 and the 5. Against the Clippers, he was backing up the Nets’ first unit, so he was really used as a center. 

It would be interesting to see Clowney share the floor with Simmons in the future, but in order for that to happen, the former will need to space the floor at a reliable-enough level. Clowney missed his three attempted three-pointers (which, again, it’s preseason), so it’s worth keeping an eye on whether this pairing is given a try.

The Nets’ next preseason game is on Monday, Oct. 14 against the Washington Wizards at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

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