Nic Claxton's Play Initiation is Leading to Team Success in December

The Nets' longest tenured player has taken over in this winning stretch.

Dec 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) dunks the ball in front of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The winter holiday season is often a big time of the year for the NBA in terms of viewership, and the Brooklyn Nets are making the most of their December in the spotlight.

Through nine games this month, the Nets are 6-3, most recently taking down the Philadelphia 76ers 114-106 on Tuesday night. One could point to several different factors contributing to the sudden stroke of success, and that's true, but there has been a pack leader through it all.

Nic Claxton is in year 7 with Brooklyn and is easily having one of the best seasons of his career. He started the 2025-26 campaign slowly but has heated up through a cold December.

The perennial starting center has boosted his season averages through nine games this month, posting 13.4 points, nine rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 stocks per game. A notable difference in Claxton's play style lately has been his play initiation getting downhill to score or create for others.

Success on the offensive end stems from pulling down rebounds on defense, something he has improved upon in December. Claxton has the green light to go coast-to-coast in these scenarios and has found himself higher than the 80th percentile for transition scoring. Opposing defenses have yet to respect his ability as a ball handler, and he has made them pay on multiple occasions.

In the win against the 76ers, Claxton pulled down a rebound in the second quarter and pushed it down the court in seven seconds, finishing over Joel Embiid.

He also logged his ninth double-double of the season against Philadelphia. While this season may not stand up to Claxton's 2022-23 season, where he led the NBA in field goal percentage, this December stretch is certainly one of the best of his career.

In the last nine games, Claxton has a 16.3 player impact estimate, which ranks 27th in the league during that stretch among players who have played at least 10 minutes per game.

His ability to play off Michael Porter Jr. as the two most ball-dominant players on the team has made it hard for opposing defenses to guard everyone. Whether Claxton's the screener in pick-and-rolls or working in the post, he is a threat to score and find the open man.

It makes sense why Claxton is a coveted name in the trade market because his play style would fit nearly any team he suits up for. For now, he remains the Nets' rock on both ends of the floor.