Inside The Nets

Nic Claxton welcomes the challenge of defending all five positions on the court

Claxton is an elite defender who can switch to all kinds of opponents.

Marin Gabric

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Nic Claxton has been one of the best defenders in recent years, mostly because he combines rim protection and elite switchability. At 6'11", most players like Clax exclusively protect the rim, but the former Georgia Bulldog is not the typical big man.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Barclays Center, Nic was defending almost everyone. He matched up well against Chet Holmgren, but Claxton does not have qualms about guarding smaller players.

"Me personally, you know I like to guard. I like to get down, get stops, guard one through five," Nic said after the OKC game. "But whatever the team needs. If I need to be in the drop, then I'm gonna do that to the best of my ability."

Claxton can win a Defensive Player of the Year award

During the 2022/23 season, Claxton was legitimately one of the best defenders in the league. He was averaging 2.5 blocks and 0.9 steals per game in that campaign, but unfortunately, the momentum he built earlier in the season faded away when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving got traded.

In the current campaign, the Nets are struggling both defensively and offensively, which dashed Clax's chances at a DPOY award. However, Nic has a long career ahead of him since he is only 24. Claxton has shown he wants to win the award, especially with the snub he received last season.

"I went from being top three in the Defensive Player of the Year to an end of the season, nothing at all," Clax said at Media Day back in October. "KD and Kyrie, when they left, it's like my name just fell off the map. It makes my blood boil. I was robbed of a Defensive team, not even saying Defensive Player of the Year."

Coach Vaughn needs to maximize Claxton

Most of the 2023/24 season has been dedicated to Claxton playing in the drop scheme, forcing him to dive back into the paint in the pick-and-roll. Yes, he's getting more blocks, but that is not the optimal way to use the adaptable center in the system.

He loves switching onto ball-handlers because he has the foot speed and defensive prowess to keep up. Against OKC, he was superb as he contained Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the PnR while altering shots at the rim.

Coach Jacque Vaughn should maximize Clax because he is a game-changer on defense. If JV can put Nic in the best position on defense, the Nets will solve most of their defensive issues.

Nic Claxton is excited ahead of the Nets' road game in Paris

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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