Nic Claxton entered this season looking to bounce back from a year ago, when he battled injuries and some subpar performances.
He was healthy as the Nets began play, and even on a team with few expectations — at least externally — the 26-year-old was seen as a potential bright spot.
But over the first four games, Claxton struggled again.
He was hitting just 57.1 percent of his field goal attempts, scoring just 10.8 points per game, with 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and — perhaps most alarmingly — zero blocks.
As in no blocked shots over the first four games for the 6-foot-11 center who’s one of the top defensive players in the game when he’s most effective, finishing tied for seventh in the league with 2.1 per game just two seasons ago.
Claxton’s performance in Sunday’s win over the awful Wizards in Washington was encouraging for a number of reasons, none more so than his season-high four blocks.
He also matched a season best with seven assists and added seven defensive rebounds, while scoring 17 points.
And his free-throw shooting has been much improved.
But for a player known for his defense, those blocked shots stood out for a number of reasons as the team looks to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they host the Celtics — who have won three of four — Tuesday at Barclays Center.
“Just getting back to myself,” Claxton said of why he’s been more effective lately with that aspect of his game. “I started the season off [and] I wasn’t getting any blocks. But the timing is slowly coming back, so I’ve been feeling good on the defensive side of the ball with where I’m where they want me.”
Claxton credited his work with assistant coach Steve Hetzel on that side of his game.
“He challenged me before the game [and] showed me some clips,” Claxton said. “So I know the level I can defend at every night. I’ve got to go do it.”
Claxton helped limit Wizards center Alex Sarr to a season-worst nine points and three rebounds on 4-of-12 shooting.
“He’s very hard on himself and he knew that he needed to be better,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “He said it. And I think that it says a lot about him. He wants to do whatever it takes for the group to be successful.”
And Claxton believes that changes his entire game.
“It definitely gets me going,” Claxton said, referencing the popular video game NBA 2K. “As soon as I block a shot, it’s like on 2K, my takeover meter goes up. So it makes me want to be even more aggressive on the offensive side and just find a way to get a bucket or get to the free-throw line.”
Or find his teammates, which Michael Porter Jr. said Claxton also did well on Sunday.
“I’ve always been a cutter, a guy that likes to find easy buckets and use my size around the basket,” Porter said of cutting to the basket, as he did with Denver, where he was often rewarded by teammate Nikola Jokic, one of the best passers in the history of the game. “So coming over here, it’s something that I have been intentional about, and [Claxton] and [Day’Ron Sharpe], they can really pass the ball and they found me for a lot of easy, easy points around the rim.”
Rookie guard Ben Saraf, who suffered a sprained left ankle while playing for Brooklyn’s G-League Long Island affiliate on Saturday, will be reevaluated in 10 days, the team announced Monday.
He played in two of the past eight Nets games after being in the starting lineup the first five games of the season.
The team also recalled rookies and fellow first-round picks, Nolan Traore and Danny Wolf, from the Long Island Nets.
— Additional reporting by Brian Lewis
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
