From poster dunks to foul drawing, Noah Clowney has evolved as a scorer for the Brooklyn Nets. Every season of his career has been an improvement, but this year is different because of the way he’s creating offense.
The Nets currently sit at 4-16 and are now outside the bottom three teams in the NBA in terms of record. Teams around the league are vying for top picks in the 2026 Draft because of its top-end talent and depth.
This season has been about the development of Brooklyn’s young players and increasing the trade value of its veterans. Many thought that Clowney and others could be afterthoughts because of the Nets’ historic rookie class –– that has not been the case for Clowney.
The third year forward has increased his averages in nearly every major statistical category this season. Clowney is averaging 12.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.4 stocks per game.
Yes, Clowney is also playing a career-high in minutes per game and is on pace to log more starts than he ever has had in his career, but his shooting volume and efficiency tell a different story. Last season, he shot 35.8% from the field and 33.3% from three. Those averages are up to 40.8% and 33.6%, respectively, through 20 games played in this campaign.
Clowney is attempting nine shots per game this season compared to 8.1 last season. His ratio from two-point attempts to three-point attempts has also balanced out. While outside shooting is still Clowney’s bread and butter, he has generated an improved inside presence.
His career-high 2.7 two-point attempts per game doesn’t jump off the page, but that doesn’t factor in all of his shot attempts where he was fouled on. Free throw shooting/rate has been the most exciting fold of Clowney’s offensive arsenal this season. He has more than doubled his free-throw attempts per game from last season to 3.7 per game this season.
The alleged 10 pounds of muscle that Clowney put on in the offseason has clearly helped him find the paint more often and go up strong when finishing.
He hasn’t had to sacrifice much of his athleticism either, as evident from a poster dunk against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
NOAH CLOWNEY ELEVATES OVER RYAN KALKBRENNER FOR THE POSTER JAM 🤯pic.twitter.com/bFxkHbLJku
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 2, 2025
Clowney is still just 21 years old, over two years younger than the rookie he dunked over, Ryan Kalkbrenner. The year didn’t start hot for the former first-round pick, but ever since he was inserted into the starting lineup, he has looked more comfortable with each game.