How Did Nets' Noah Clowney Look In Return To Action?

On Saturday night, the Brooklyn Nets paid a visit to the Charlotte Hornets, looking to rebound from their tough loss earlier in the week against the Golden State Warriors. One of the main storylines going into Saturday night's match would be the exclusion of Cameron Johnson, who would sit out due to soreness in his left knee.

This absence would mean that Jordi Fernandez and the Nets would be without one of their more consistent offensive options, as the former University of North Carolina star is averaging 19 points on 47 percent from the field, while also draining three shots from beyond the arc per game.

Just as Johnson made his way to the bench, Noah Clowney made his way back onto the court after spending over a month on the Nets' injury report due to an issue with his ankle, which he reaggravated during a team training session prior to the All-Star break in February.

His ankle has been something of a recurring issue this season, having missed two prior stretches of game time due to it, with his first stint of absences coming in November, and the second falling in late January.

Given the long absence that Clowney had, he didn't make an appearance in the starting lineup against the Hornets, something that he's done on 18 occasions throughout the season, making his way into the match in the latter stages of the first quarter.

In his first two quarters back, Clowney struggled to find success from the field, missing both his attempts from downtown, managing to pick up two defensive rebounds.

These struggles would continue for the second-year forward, ending the match without a point to his name, only adding an assist, a steal, and two more rebounds to his tally before being pulled midway throughout the fourth quarter. Following the match, Fernandez would touch on Clowney's return to the court, explaining that despite his struggles from the field against Charlotte, he implores him to keep trying his luck shooting the ball.

"It's good to see him on the court, you know, he's got to keep shooting, shots are going to go in, because that's who he is," stated the Nets' head coach. "He's a great shooter, plays extremely hard, and we want him to keep finding the rhythm."

To Fernandez's point, Clowney's struggles on Saturday night are uncharacteristic, averaging nine points on 37 percent from the field, only managing to not score in one other match this season, which came against the Utah Jazz in early January.

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