Noah Clowney Addresses Positional Versatility and Frontcourt Fit

The Nets’ second-year forward could be in for a bigger breakout at the NBA level.

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

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Season two in a Brooklyn Nets uniform has arrived for Noah Clowney, and the former no. 21 overall pick could be poised for a breakout season of sorts. How, or where, that might come is still uncertain. 

“I get reps at both [the 4 and the 5], so when that time comes, I play either or,” Clowney said Monday on Nets media day. The Brooklyn forward added that he weighed in that morning at 230 pounds, up from the 210 pounds he was listed at as a rookie.

Clowney’s positional versatility gives him a boost when it comes to cracking the Nets rotation under new head coach Jordi Fernández. The former Alabama prospect saw minutes at both positions last season, although he also spent plenty of time in the G League with the Long Island Nets to acclimatize to the NBA. 

In 23 NBA games, Clowney averaged 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.1 minutes. Most of those minutes came in late March and early April. For Long Island in the G League, he put up 17.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 30.6 minutes per night. 

“I think [Clowney] can be very good at playing the four, very good at playing the five,” Fernández said in his preseason press conference. “The kid can shoot. His size is multipositional. He’s got a lot of good qualities and abilities to be successful.”

Clowney addressed the possibility of playing with Nic Claxton at the Nets’ HSS Training Center on Monday. He mentioned being excited by the prospect of a frontcourt partnership with Claxton.

“Guarding when you know it's a rim protector behind you is always a good feeling,” Clowney said. “You can always get into the ball more. If you get beat, you're not lost just yet.”

Claxton echoed the idea of playing with Clowney in his own media appearance on Monday. The Nets’ center signed a four-year, $100 million contract this summer.

“That’s like a seamless fit because we’re both from the south, we both have similar mannerisms,” Claxton said. “He wants to be great… It's easy to resonate on the court together. I think we saw that towards the end of the season last year where we put together some pretty good games.”

Clowney also played in Summer League with Brooklyn for the second consecutive year. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks — encouraging signs ahead of the new season.

“What stood out to me is … being conditioned to be able to play at high speeds for a long time, and then playing the right way every possession, not forcing nothing, staying locked in mentally,” Clowney said about his Las Vegas experience this year.

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