Before the Nets hired one of the game’s best sharpshooters of all-time in Kyle Korver as a player development assistant coach, the former All-Star had already made his mark in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn big man Nicolas Claxton told Alex Schiffer of the Athletic that in early August, before it was even announced that Korver would be the Nets new assistant, the sharpshooter worked with him in his hometown of Greenville.
Korver drove two hours before getting busy with Claxton. In their time together, the new Nets assistant targeted the young big man’s problem as a shooter: Consistency. Claxton told Schiffer, “Everything that he does is easy for me to understand. Of course his body of work, what he did, speaks for itself. But everything is relatable. He knows how to get through.”
Last season, Claxton shot only 20% from three and 49% from the free throw line. This barely scratched the surface of the numbers he put up playing for the Long Island Nets in the 2019-20 campaign. There, the 22-year-old shot 56% from three and 77% from the free throw line. It’s only a matter of time before Korver unleashes this potential within Claxton.
More importantly, the process is made easier because of the way Korver teaches. Head coach Steve Nash told Schiffer, “He’s a teacher, a natural teacher. I think he has a great methodology with the way he teaches and instructs. Kind of a deep learning and real purpose with why he teaches the way he does.”
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