The Brooklyn Nets endured an eventful 2024-25 regular-season opener against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Brooklyn fought hard but could not hold momentum, taking an 1120-116 loss. Cam Thomas' 33-point performance was admirable, but Nic Claxton's untimely showing was the talk of the night.
Claxton played the game on a minutes restriction amid his hamstring injury recovery. However, it was not his production that caught fans and analysts' eyes.
The Nets trailed the Hawks 93-89 with roughly eight minutes left in the fourth quarter when Brooklyn suddenly lost possession of the ball. Atlanta guard Dyson Daniels caught an outlet pass in transition and attempted a layup, but Claxton fouled him with tremendous force. One would think Claxton's move was a basketball play, but he swung his arm towards Daniels' neck/head area, resulting in a flagrant 2 foul and an ejection.
Daniels quickly gathered himself and confronted Claxton for the hit. In the moment, Claxton put his hands up as if to signal he did nothing wrong and later started clapping when he got to the Nets' bench. The sixth-year center spoke about the incident and revealed some concerning comments after the game:
“Just having more situational awareness," Claxton told Erik Slater of ClutchPoints when asked about controlling his emotions in late-game situations. "Maybe I need to talk to a therapist or something. Whatever I do, I can’t get kicked out of games. I need to be there for my team.”
Claxton's "therapist" comments came with a smile, but his assessment of his late-game incident should not be taken lightly.
Claxton cannot let excessive, unnecessary moments derail him
Nic Claxton has a minor history of losing his composure in late-game situations. One of his most notable moments came during the first round of the 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The Nets were amid an intense Game 3 battle after losing the first two games of the series. After getting one technical foul earlier in the game, Claxton dunked on Joel Embiid and taunted him with roughly eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, which saw the Nets center get another tech and an ejection.
Claxton plays with emotion, and that helps him keep his motor high during games. However, he must find a way to keep those emotions in check, especially down the stretch of contests. Claxton is Brooklyn's defensive anchor and most reliable big man. He cannot afford to make unnecessary plays that jeopardize his ability to stay on the court.
The positive from Claxton's incident against the Hawks is that it was the first game of the season. Surely, he will learn from the experience and ease the Nets' concerns about his ability to stay collected in heated moments.