Since Jimmy Butler fell into Kevin Durant’s knee on Jan. 8 and left him with a sprained MCL for the second straight season, the Nets have said they are confident they can handle his absence better than they did last year.
The early results have not exactly backed up that faith, but one of the key reasons why the Nets may be in a better spot to survive a Durant-less stretch overall? The team’s double-double leader.
Nic Claxton has elevated his game at the rim on both ends of the floor, making a run at history on the offensive end and becoming an elite rim protector on the defensive end, all at the age of 23.
“I think overall just his aggressiveness [has been his biggest improvement],” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said recently. “I think you see it on both ends of the floor, whether it’s putback dunks, whether that’s playing above the rim, whether that’s an element now of catching the half-roll and being able to be a passer or a finisher. So the offensive end, that’s probably the most growth we’ve seen from him, and then defensively just being at every spot for us on the defensive end of the floor. I think he’s really taken pride in being a defensive player and the impact that it has on our team, on the game, a lot of times on the outcome, really. I think he’s taken some ownership of that, which has been huge.”
After an 8-for-9, 20-point effort in Friday night’s skid-ending road win over the Jazz, Claxton is shooting a league-leading 73.4 percent from the field, which trails only the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson (74.19 percent, in the abbreviated 2019-2020 season) for the highest single-season field-goal percentage in NBA history.
With looks like these, Nets center Nic Claxton is challenging the single-season record for field-goal percentage.Robert SaboAfter shooting a combined 64.6 percent from the field during his first three seasons in the NBA, the 6-foot-11 Claxton added some muscle during the most recent offseason and has used it to his advantage in setting up shop in the paint.
Just how much? Here’s a breakdown of where Claxton is getting taking his shot attempts this season, according to NBA.com:
- Restricted area: 204-for-252 (81 percent)
- In the paint, non-restricted area: 27-for-58 (46.4 percent)
- Mid-range: 1-for-4 (25 percent)
- Corner 3: 0-for-2
Claxton’s 81 percent shooting from the restricted area is the best in the league among players averaging more than five attempts per game. Lakers star Anthony Davis ranks second at 78.7 percent.
Nic Claxton’s 2022-23 season shot chartvia Basketball ReferenceThe refined shot selection has Claxton’s average shot distance at 2.5 feet, per Basketball Reference, which is tied for the shortest mark of his career and good for seventh in the NBA (Robinson has the league’s shortest distance at 1.2 feet and Knicks teammate Jericho Sims is second at 2.0). Claxton’s arsenal during his first two seasons in the NBA included the occasional 3-pointer as he tried to carry over some versatility from college. But over the past two seasons, he has attempted just two 3-pointers and instead honed in on his bread and butter: the 2-pointer, a shot on which he leads the league with a 73.9 field-goal percentage.
Here’s how Claxton’s shot type breaks down this season:
- Alley-oops: 33-for-41 (80.5 percent)
- Dunks: 109-for-115 (94.8 percent)
- Finger rolls: 5-for-8 (62.5 percent)
- Hook shots: 24-for-48 (50 percent)
- Layups: 93-for-137 (67.9 percent)
- Bank shots: 7-for-9 (77.8 percent)
- Fadeaways: 1-for-3 (33.3 percent)
- Tip shots: 23-for-29 (79.3 percent)
After figuring out how best to play and produce in the same lineup as Durant and Kyrie Irving, Claxton is now benefiting from their presence. Of his 173 assisted field goals, 47 have come from Durant and 36 from Irving.
The result is Claxton averaging a career-high 12.4 points per game, a number that would be even higher if not for his glaring remaining weakness: free-throw shooting. He is shooting a career-low 47.1 percent from the charity stripe, which came back to hurt the Nets on Thursday night when Claxton missed two costly free throws late (one on purpose) in a loss to the Suns. He went 4-for-8 from the line on Friday night.
Nic Claxton tries to finish in the lane between two Spurs defenders on Jan. 17.USA TODAY SportsBut Claxton’s strides this season are not limited to one end of the floor. He has said he believes he should be in contention for Defensive Player of the Year.
Claxton’s credentials for the award begin with his league-leading 2.7 blocks per game (the Bucks’ Brook Lopez is next with 2.5 per game). Claxton averaged just 1.1 blocks per game across his first three seasons, but has become a swatter extraordinaire at the rim in Year 4.
“Just physically, he’s much more imposing than when he first came in,” Joe Harris said. “He’s got a lot more confidence. The stuff that he does defensively for us right now is probably the biggest leap. Offensively, he’s always been very skilled and capable of doing a lot of different things. But defensively, he’s been elite for us in terms of protecting the rim.”
With four more blocks on Friday night, Claxton extended his streak of having blocked at least three shots to 11 straight games, the second-longest streak in franchise history behind Shawn Bradley.
Nic Claxton rises for a block against the Suns’ Dario Saric on Jan. 19.NBAE via Getty ImagesClaxton also has helped the Nets in being able to guard multiple positions, going from defending the rim to defending the perimeter on any given possession.
Now, Claxton will be tasked with keeping his game at a high level — and perhaps even elevating it — during Durant’s absence to help keep the Nets afloat. But given the improvements he has made this season, the test might be coming at the right time for the former second-round pick.
“Just me getting stronger and my body being able to adapt to the physicality of the game [has been key],” Claxton said recently. “Just being available and opportunity, just consistent experience is the best teacher.”
Missing the points
How does a team fill the void when they are missing a scorer who averaged 29.7 points per game?
The Nets want to do so by shooting more 3-pointers, as in 10 to 15 more than the 31.3 per game they are currently averaging.
Joe Harris is shooting under 40 percent on 3-pointers for the first time since the 2016-17 season.NBAE via Getty ImagesIt would help, then, if the shooter who entered the season as the team’s best 3-point threat over the past few years could return to form.
Before having to undergo a pair of surgeries on his ankle last season, Harris was a 45 percent shooter from beyond the arc from 2017-2022. During that span, he twice led the NBA in 3-point shooting: in 2018-19 (47.4 percent) and 2020-21 (47.5 percent).
This season, though, Harris is shooting only 39 percent from 3 — still above league-average but well below the standard he has set for himself.
Harris re-entered the starting lineup after Durant went down because of the MCL sprain, which the Nets are hoping might get Harris in a better rhythm with an increase in minutes. That appeared to be the case Thursday against the Suns, when he shot 4-for-4 from downtown in 31:35 (the line was 3-of-6 in 21:27 against the Jazz).
Seth Curry also could help shoulder some of the 3-point load. He is shooting 41.7 percent from deep. In the five games since Durant went down, Curry is averaging 15.2 points.
