Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton showed a lot of improvement this season in terms of what he was able to do and gave the NBA world a look into who he is at his core. For starters, Claxton showed that he can be a force on the defensive end regardless of the personnel.
Coming into this season, the most games that the former Georgia Bulldog played in a season was 47 (2021-2022) and in that campaign, he started in 19 games. Fast forward to this season and Claxton played and started in 76 games and it was clear that there were points in this season that he was playing more minutes than he was ever used to.
Claxton finished this season having increased his numbers across the board and he even put himself in the conversation for the Defensive Player of The Year (DPOY) award because of how well he was playing on that end of the floor. Claxton racked up 2.5 blocks per game which placed him second in the league behind DPOY winner Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Claxton showed how much he improved on the offensive end as well. He went from averaging 8.7 points per game last season to 12.6 points this season as he displayed his improved touch around the rim. It looks like Claxton is just scratching the surface of what he’s capable and during his exit interview on Sunday, he allowed himself to reflect on this season now that it’s over:
“I mean, I’m just blessed man. At the end of the day, things didn’t end how we wanted them to, but as I reflect, I’m just blessed to be healthy, blessed to be in this position. Obviously, these first four years, it’s been a whirlwind, as everybody knows. But, I’m just trying to stay solid as I can be for myself, for the organization. And, you know, I’m here and I want to continue to grow.”
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