NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has been working on different parts of his game ever since he came into the NBA out of the University of Georgia. Brooklyn has able to rely on Claxton to hold down the fort as the starting center thanks to his skillset and he explained why he continues to work on his game despite already being regarded as a solid center.
“I take a lot of pride in that, just exploring my game and just staying in love with the game, not getting bored with the process,” Claxton said during his exit interview in April. Claxton has been one of the most productive players on the Nets over the past few seasons, but this year saw him make significant improvements in his passing and free-throw shooting that allowed him to be a more efficient offensive player.
“I already got a few things in my mind that I’ve written down that I want to really focus on this offseason and kind of continue to add to my game,” Claxton continued. “I added a slow-step this past offseason. I was able to score a lot off of that, draw a lot of fouls getting downhill, and I got other things I want to just continue to add to my bag.”
Claxton, 27, finished the 2025-26 season with averages of 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field and 61.6% from the free-throw line. Even though Claxton had his lowest rebound per game output since the 2021-22 season, he still managed to get close to or exceed many other statistical categories, including his aforementioned assists per game and his free-throw percentage.
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez relied on Claxton to be one of the main playmakers on the team and it shows in the numbers as the near-seven-footer averaged the second-most assists per game, just behind rookie Nolan Traore (3.8). Claxton played through various injuries over the course of this season, but he still found a way to be a better player and he sounds like he’ll continue to do so this offseason.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Nic Claxton explains pride he takes in improving his game
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
