Enough time has passed. Noah Clowney has taken a clear leap this season, and the third-year forward is emerging as one of the Nets’ more successful player-development projects. His summer spent adding strength is clearly paying off.
Clowney is averaging a career-best 12.2 points and 3.5 rebounds with a 51.6 effective field goal percentage on 6.4 3-point attempts per game. Since becoming Brooklyn’s full-time starting forward on Nov. 3, he’s played 31.2 minutes a night and made the most of the opportunity, posting 16.5 points on a 43.9/36.8/77.8 shooting line. It’s also no coincidence the Nets’ defensive intensity has risen sharply since Clowney entered the starting group.
“Just trying to be aggressive,” Clowney said. “Helps me, helps my teammates. That’s really it.”
While there’s still more to be desired from Clowney as a rebounder, his offense has genuinely blossomed. He’s using his stronger frame to attack the rim with real force. He’s letting it fly from deep freely and confidently. And his confidence keeps growing as head coach Jordi Fernández continues to give him the minutes and runway to play through mistakes.
This rise didn’t always feel inevitable. Clowney spent most of his first two seasons bouncing between Brooklyn and Long Island, logging sporadic minutes while struggling to find a consistent offensive identity. The Nets repeatedly pointed to his youth and long-term upside, but there were stretches when it wasn’t clear if or when the tools would translate. His frame wasn’t quite ready for NBA physicality, and he often looked rushed or hesitant on both ends.
But look at him now, and it’s hard to miss how far he’s come.
Clowney growth was on full display Monday, when he poured in a career-high 31 points with seven made 3s in against the Knicks, a night when he more than held his own against All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns. The 21-year-old was the Nets’ only consistent source of offense in the loss, and he went 6-for-6 at the free throw line.
“That just tells you the impact of his game when he’s on the court,” Fernández said. “His presence was great, and I [could] see his face how locked in he [was]… You start to see the growth, and its growth. That growth has to be by everybody. I’m really, really proud of him.”
Clowney’s barely of legal drinking age, and if things are already starting to click for him, it’s easy to feel optimistic about where he’ll be by game 82 — and even more so in a few years as he gains reps and grows into his prime. If he stays consistent while continuing to evolve defensively, fans have every reason to wonder just how high the ceiling might be for the former first-round pick.
The question now isn’t whether he can do it, but whether he can keep doing it. Clowney’s flashed real two-way ability, and the Nets want to see him carry this level of play through the long haul. That’s where the next level of his development begins. Brooklyn believes he’s only scratching the surface, and the responsibility now shifts to building on this momentum night after night.
“He’s had a good stretch. The challenge for me and him is sustaining it, improvement,” Fernández said. “Don’t just feel good about it. And the most important thing is giving the team a chance to win games, and that’s how we’re going to keep getting better.”