At the start of the season, it looked like Nic Claxton was going to spend a good portion of the 2019-20 season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. But DeAndre Jordan’s ankle injury on November 4 presented the rookie with the chance to contribute at the NBA level, putting off any possible assignment to the G League.
Claxton took full advantage of the opportunity at first, but his role has diminished as Jarrett Allen has continued to dominate down low, Jordan has found his groove and others are taking care of business at the four. As a result, Claxton hasn’t played since the Nets lost in Boston to the Celtics on Thanksgiving Eve.
While there’s some value in learning from his teammates in Brooklyn, the rookie needs reps. This is why Brooklyn assigned Claxton to Long Island on Monday, ahead of their game against Raptors 905.
Rodions Kurucs has been assigned to Long Island, as well.