Nets’ Nic Claxton wants to ‘grow’ with the current roster
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NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton showed the entire NBA world what he can do when given the opportunity to be himself on the floor. Not only did Claxton prove that he has a promising future in the league, but that he still has some growing to do as well.
“I think personally it’s a lot of the same goals,” Claxton said during Media Day on Monday when asked about his goals for the 2023-24 season. Claxton achieved career-highs in almost every statistical category last season, including points per game (12.6), rebounds per game (9.2), and blocks per game (2.5). “Defensive player of the year and just impacting the game like I did last year on both sides of the court every single night. I want to be available for every game,” Claxton continued.
One of the major storylines for Claxton last season was that he was one of the candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were still on the team. After both superstars were traded, it seems that the voters for the award forgot that Claxton was playing defense the same way even though the team wasn’t as dominant because of the change in personnel.
“It makes my blood boil,” Claxton said regarding when he thinks about not making All-Defense at all despite how he played throughout the season. Claxton did finish last season tied for ninth in the voting along with Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, who also won the Most Valuable Player award.
Instead of Claxton doubting himself for not receiving any accolades for his defensive impact last season, he seemed more certain of himself because of the work that he put in on that end of the floor. “I was robbed of a defensive team, not even saying defensive player of the year. I was robbed of it. My numbers were amazing, I passed every eye test,” Claxton explained.
As this season begins, Claxton seems more determined to make an impact on the floor, regardless of whether he ends up with any awards to show for it or not. He knows his value to the Nets, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and he uses that as his motivation to continue to get better as a player.
