After falling to the Charlotte Hornets in the season opener, it’s clear this Brooklyn Nets team has a lot of growing pains to work through. In a game wear a pair of rookie guards stole the show, it was Nic Claxton who impressed the most.
While the Nets’ top priority should be developing their young assets, their cornerstone center is only 26 years old and could very well be the present and future of the position.
Claxton is coming off a season of regression, during which he averaged 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting a career-low 56.3% from the field. He looked like he had a fire under him despite the large margin of defeat against the Hornets.
In just 23 minutes, Claxton scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed four rebounds. He did it efficiently as well, shooting 8-for-12 from the field.
If the former second-round pick can show more consistency on the offensive end, Brooklyn should definitely look to keep him around or, at the very least, get a plethora of assets in return for him. Claxton excelled in the pick-and-roll game with several different players, setting hard screens and finishing over Hornets’ rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner often.
There was one instance in the second quarter where Claxton set a hard screen at halfcourt, knocking Hornets’ rookie Sion James down to the floor and then sprinting down the court to collect an offensive rebound and get a putback bucket.
Nic Claxton sets a monster screen, cleans up a possession, then looks to stare down Ryan Kalkbrenner. pic.twitter.com/UhtZR7igpY
— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) October 22, 2025
The rebounding numbers are the main concern for him following the blowout loss. Kalkbrenner ended the game with 11 rebounds, five on the offensive glass. Claxton can’t allow that many boards to the opposing team’s big man.
While he also didn’t put up any defensive stats, Claxton had a good night of contesting in the paint and helping over on baseline drives. Kalkbrenner ended the night with four turnovers, many of which were forced by Claxton’s pressure.
Looking ahead to tonight’s game, Brooklyn’s starting center will need to be locked in against the Cleveland Cavaliers’ twin towers of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
In four matchups against the Cavaliers last season, Claxton averaged 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. Playing to the level of his competition this season will be crucial in seeing a true leap in his game.
Eyes should be on Claxton against Cleveland to see if he can compete with two All-Star level centers.