The Brooklyn Nets’ biggest weakness as a team one season ago was defense, but young center Nic Claxton has high aspirations for helping the Nets address that issue.
In a post-game interview, reporters talked to several Nets teammates who reflected on Claxton’s contributions. Head coach Steve Nash said, “I’m not here to say, ‘OK, Nic, now you got to add a step-back [jump shot] to your game. I’m more like, ‘Nic, captain us with [defensive] coverages.’ Talking about making sure you know what coverage we’re in, making sure you’re low man when you need to be making sure you’re protecting the rim.”
Claxton heard the message loud and clear.
“I really want to be the anchor of the defense,” Claxton said, “and be one of the best defenders in the league night-in and night-out.”
Superstar Kevin Durant discussed Claxton’s play: “He had all of that stuff when he got here. It’s just being more confident and using it. Coach trusts him, his teammates trust him, so he can go out there and do his thing. Sometimes you don’t want to showcase all your skills early on because you don’t know how they fit towards the team. He’s comfortable now, and we need him to be more and more aggressive.”
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