The Brooklyn Nets are opening their 2024-25 NBA regular season campaign against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. After months of intriguing offseason events, Nets fans will get to see what Brooklyn's young squad looks like. One important member of the team's success, Nic Claxton, missed all of preseason with a hamstring injury. However, Claxton is set to make an appearance in the season opener.
The sixth-year center is the longest-tenured player on the Nets and has experienced tremendous growth since arriving in Brooklyn. After earning recognition as one of the most versatile and reliable rim-protectors and overall defenders in the league, Claxton earned a four-year, $100 million contract extension from the Nets.
Some players' attitudes can change after signing such lucrative deals, but Claxton revealed encouraging insight about his stance on the contract ahead of Brooklyn's regular season start:
“No... If there was a time for me to worry about anything it was when I didn’t have a contract," Claxton told Erik Slater of ClutchPoints on Oct. 21 when asked if he feels added pressure from signing the new contract. "Now that I do have one, I can just go play, have fun, do what I was doing before, and keep trying to add layers to my game.”
Claxton is making it clear his attitude and work ethic will not change
Nic Claxton's comments are telling. He feels like if there was a time for a mentality shift, it would have been before his contract extension. He is not letting the pay raise slow down his progress.
Claxton joined the Nets during an interesting time when the team employed the services of DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen. Despite not getting much playing time during his early years, Claxton stayed the course and continued working on his game. Year after year, he gained increased opportunities with the Nets.
After averaging 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 20.7 minutes across 47 games during the 2021-22 season, Claxton lept to averages of 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 2022-23. The season marked his career-highs in points and swats. He comes off a 2023-24 season with averages of 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks.
For two straight years, Claxton has ranked top-10 in the NBA in stocks (steals plus blocks) and has been viewed as a fringe All-Defensive player. He wants to grow his offensive skill set by shooting more outside jumpers but wants to remain the defensive anchor the Nets need him to be.
Brooklyn did right by further investing in Claxton, and his actions and comments continue to prove his value to the borough.