The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of an offseason in which they have plenty of matters to consider as they look to improve the team enough heading into next season. While Brooklyn does not have a pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, there is a player in the draft that is being compared to a current player on the roster.
The Nets’ main task this summer is to re-sign center Nic Claxton, who is an unrestricted free-agent after two seasons of impressive play. As Brooklyn moves forward in their pursuit of bringing Claxton back, there is a player who could be selected with the first overall pick that has some similarities to Claxton.
“He’s a switching big. A bit on the leaner side so he’s not going to defend those big beefy centers like a (Nikola) Jokic or (Joel) Embiid, but he can switch onto the perimeter Nic Claxton style if you’re familiar with him with the Brooklyn Nets. Can blitz (and) hedge in pick-and-rolls,” Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer said of French center Alex Sarr in his most recent mock draft.
Nets fans are familiar with Claxton’s ability to defend on the perimeter and most of the NBA has marveled at the way he is able to hold his own when switching onto guards and forwards. Sarr has the expectation of a player that could be an All-Star in the NBA and that’s why he’s regarded as one of the few players that could be the first player selected.
This comparison by O’Connor is interesting because not only does it indicate one of the ways that Sarr can contribute to a team, but also how versatile Claxton is as a defender. That is something for the Nets to remember as they approached their negotiations with Claxton while also keeping in mind that other teams are interested in his services as well.
Despite being a top-class rim protector, Nic Claxton’s most impressive ability is switching onto the perimeter, forcing pull-up jumpers, & dominating elite isolation scorers
Opponents only produced 0.79 ppp against Clax in ISO—sick for a big to move his feet & contest like THIS pic.twitter.com/QiqohZZPcP
— NBA University (@NBA_University) September 11, 2023
Watching Alex Sarr excel on the perimeter both offensively and defensively is extremely encouraging
He’s uniquely quick and recovers unbelievably well on driving guards
One aspect of his game that will immediately translate to a Quin Snyder system is his green light to run the… pic.twitter.com/hQQ4BEekrN
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) May 30, 2024
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