Brooklyn Nets: Nic Claxton Continues to be Underrated

The $100 million big man could be in store for a breakout season.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In the age of the unicorn do-it-all centers in the NBA, the prototypical inside guys don't get shown much love outside of Rudy Gobert. This trend applies to the Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton, who landed at 17th in a top-30 ranking of NBA centers from Frank Urbina of HoopsHype.

Ahead of the 25-year-old was former Net Jarrett Allen, Chicago's Nikola Vucevic and Dallas' Dereck Lively. Allen's placement ahead of Claxton is understandable, given he was an All-Star just two seasons ago. The latter two are more head scratching, as Vucevic has seen a slight decline in his play and Lively is only heading into his second season.

Due to their lack of competitiveness, Brooklyn members have continued to be underrated. Claxton's 2023-24 averages rivaled those of Rudy Gobert's, Urbina's 7th-ranked center ahead of next season. Gobert's impact is certainly larger than Claxton's currently, but a 10 spot gap is difficult to understand.

With no obvious scoring outlet besides Cam Thomas, Claxton has the opportunity to up his offensive game in 2024-25. He already possesses an extremely versatile skillset, possessing the ability to defend guards and facilitate at high levels for his size. He is among the league's elite in terms of his defensive capabilities, and with a fresh contract in hand can now prove why he should be considered in the upper echelon of centers.

The first year of the Nets' total overhaul could be a big one for the fifth year veteran.

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