Nets' Noah Clowney Talks Shifting his Perspective Amid a Rebuild

Noah Clowney went from making the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in his freshman season at Alabama to not touching the playoffs in his first three seasons in the NBA. This is assuming the Brooklyn Nets stay in the bottom five of the Eastern Conference this season.

The rebuilding process needs patience from the front office, coaching staff and players alike. It's hard to stay bought in through losing seasons, but Clowney has found ways to change his perspective for the betterment of himself and the team.

He joined TheOldManAndTheThree podcast alongside rookie teammates Egor Demin, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf to talk about this season. The Nets are 15-38 and have gone 5-18 in the new year. Clowney has had to put aside some of his exasperations by looking for things to take pride in other than team success.

"At times this season, I'd be frustrated that we losing, I had to shift my perspective," Clowney said. "Team success and my success, I had to separate them."

The balance of trying to help the team win and trying to get better himself has coincided less, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about Brooklyn's future. Clowney realizes that this season can't be turned around at this point, and he has to improve so it can be better in the next season.

"I'm looking for, did I get better this game?... Last game I was bad in the closeout, did I get better at that shit this game?" Clowney said. "Was I where I was supposed to be on defense? Stuff like that."

These questions that he asks himself are used as tools to avoid being satisfied with where he's at –– an always improving mentality. Clowney knows that "wins and losses are gonna happen," but he's focused on taking his personal wins.

There's also been a growth in his competitive mindset this season with some of the moves the front office has made. They took five rookies in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, and he's trying to show he's deserving of more opportunities.

"We knew it was going to be a tough adjustment, like ya'll are getting real reps," Clowney said.

It's safe to say that his spot in the Nets starting lineup is his to lose. Clowney's been fortunate to experience the healthiest season of his NBA career, already playing the most games in a season he ever played, with 47 in this campaign.

He's still only 21 years old, but Clowney's mindset is that of a seasoned vet. How far his own development and mentorship of others go will have a great impact on the Nets' future.