What Does Noah Clowney Bulking Up Mean For Nets?

A key theme for this year's Brooklyn Nets team as they head into the 2025-2026 NBA season will likely be development. After all, the average age of the Nets' current roster would rank them among the top ten youngest teams in NBA history, and the youngest team in the league currently.

While all eyes will be on Brooklyn's prized five first-round picks as they enter their rookie season, the Nets also have several young, promising players who are in a position to make a leap heading into this season

Now entering his third season, 21-year-old power forward Noah Clowney has the opportunity to continue proving himself to Brooklyn's coaching staff with two years of NBA experience now under his belt.

Although Clowney came into the NBA weighing just 210 pounds, he has dedicated time to building his frame and becoming more physically imposing. As the season approaches, Clowney is now up to 234 pounds. According to the Alabama product, emphasizing his diet and weight training has helped him make a great deal of progress.

“Just been eating and staying in the weight room,” Clowney told ClutchPoints' Erik Slater. “You gain weight as you get older; it's natural. But I just turned 21, so I don't really have the grown man weight yet. So everything I got right now, I've been forcing it.”

With some extra bulk to his frame, Clowney explained that he hopes to become more dominant in the paint.

“The main thing was being able to get to the rim efficiently and being efficient when I get there. I think I've improved in that aspect a lot," Clowney said. "Being more of an enforcer when I'm driving the ball rather than trying to get around people. It'll be helpful.”

Last season, Clowney averaged 9.1 and 3.9 rebounds while starting 20 games and appearing in 46 total contests. While making respectable strides as a scorer, Clowney also showcased some added comfort as an outside shooter, shooting 5.7 three-pointers per game (33.3% efficiency), compared to just 1.4 during his rookie season.

According to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, Clowney will have a great deal of support and freedom as he continues to develop.

"He puts the time and work into it. And I'm gonna let him make mistakes, as long as the intentions are good,” Fernandez said. “I don't want him to be, like, trying to analyze everything. Just [make] simple reads. Right now, he's been doing a very good job of being efficient with his dribbles and then being under control and on balance once he has to make the decision to kick it or finish it. So keep it simple, go out there, don't overthink.”