Ever since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets, they were considered an offensive juggernaut in the making, and for very good reasons.
However, for most of their tenure, their only shot at winning a game was to outscore the opposition, as they couldn’t get a stop to save their lives, struggled to protect the rim, and was often out-rebounded and out-hustled on both ends of the glass.
Notably, some fans urged the team to unleash Nic Claxton and let him develop on the court, but he seemed raw and wasn’t ready to embrace such a big responsibility.
Now, under Jacque Vaughn, the second-round pick has finally flourished and is proving that he could be one of the league’s finest rim protectors, posting a league-leading 2.71 blocks per game and a 107.1 Defensive Rating, also the best in the Association.
Claxton is averaging career-highs all over the board, with 12.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on a league-best 73.9%.
Nic Claxton leads the NBA in:
FG%: 73.9%
BPG: 2.7
DEFRTG: 107.1 pic.twitter.com/BY3kn8Oqlc— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 26, 2023
He’s been a massive part of the Nets’ turnaround this season, anchoring their defense and being one of the steadiest candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year.
More than that, the former Georgia Bulldog has also taken a step forward offensively, thriving in the pick-and-roll and finishing with both hands above the rim as a solid rim-runner.
Of course, the Nets’ success will mostly depend on Durant, Irving, and even Ben Simmons.
But Claxton is the defensive anchor they have been craving for years and might as well be the X-factor they needed to finally get over the hump.
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