NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has been having the best season of his career as head coach Jordi Fernandez has found out the way to maximize Claxton’s strengths all over the court. Claxton has always been a solid center for Brooklyn since coming into the league, but this campaign has seen him take his game to the next level, a form that everyone is excited to see from him.
“Playing through our bigs, Nic has done a great job. His playmaking efficiency this year is taking the next step, and we believe he could do it,” Fernandez said prior to last week’s 123-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. Claxton has a solid performance against the Jazz with 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, but like Fernandez mentioned, Claxton’s game has been more complete on both ends of the floor this year, thanks in large part to his playmaking.
“Some teams decide to play him off his body, and he’s done a great job using that space to be aggressive and taking it to the rim,” Fernandez continued on Claxton. “if you look at him, he can attack and go Euro-step or shoot a layup. Not all the centers can do that, go downhill, one-two [step] either way, and his finishing has been good, so I trust him. He’ll make the right play for his teammates.”
Claxton, 26, is averaging 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 69.4% from the free-throw line. In addition to Claxton having what should amount to the best season of his career, he has also been available for all 23 of Brooklyn’s game this season, seemingly putting him on pace for another campaign in which he plays at least 70 games.
More to the point, Claxton’s increase in playmaking responsibility has resulted in him achieving the kind of feat at the center spot that puts him in the same conversation as perennial NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. As ClutchPoints pointed out below, Claxton (2) and Jokic (11) are the only true centers (excluding players listed as forward-center) in the league this season that have had a triple-double.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Nic Claxton becoming triple-double machine in career-best season
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
