Georgia Basketball: Nicolas Claxton could soon have larger role with Nets
It's been over a year since Nicolas Claxton made the decision to leave Georgia early and head to the NBA Draft. While he received some mid-to-late first-round projections heading in, Claxton eventually fell to the Brooklyn Nets with the 1st pick in the 2nd round.
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks explained the reasoning for taking Claxton stating, "there’s tremendous amount of upside there with him, the way he moves, the way I think he will eventually able to stretch the floor, the way he can handle the ball already. It’s always nice when you get a guy with that build and you can hopefully add to that frame.”
It's evident to see Claxton's versatility just by looking at him. At 6'11 220 pounds, he can play anywhere from small forward to center given his quickness and strength despite his slight frame.
Unfortunately for Claxton, the Nets already had DeAndre Jordan, Jarrett Allen, Wilson Chandler, and Taurean Prince down low in solidified roles heading into the season. That made it hard for the Nets to find him large amounts of minutes, which is why he spent time in the G-League from time to time.
Moving forward, Wilson Chandler will be a free agent after this year, which could lead to a bigger role for Claxton, even if it's not a starting role just yet. Not to mention, DeAndre Jordan is 31 years old and is definitely not the team's long term answer in the frontcourt even if he is on contract through 2023.
Prediction:
It's clear that the Nets' front office sees a future in not only Jarrett Allen but also Georgia's Nicolas Claxton. While it probably won't happen this upcoming season, expect the Nets to eventually shift to a starting frontcourt duo of Claxton and Allen at the power forward and center positions respectively.
Claxton's frame is not yet fully developed, as he still has plenty of room to add on muscle, even though he already exploits plenty of strength when working defenders in the post. He already has the skill level to score in the paint, shoot from deep range, and contest shots on defense anywhere from the three-point arch to right next to the basket. If he can endure a body transformation similar to the one Giannis Antetokounmpo had when he first entered the league, you could be looking at a future NBA star in Nicolas Claxton.
