Nic Claxton Explained

Nic Claxton
Position:Center
Height Ft:6
Height In:11
Weight Lbs:215
League:NBA
Team:Brooklyn Nets
Number:33
Birth Date:17 April 1999
Birth Place:Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Nationality:American / U.S. Virgin Islander
High School:Legacy Charter School
(Greenville, South Carolina)
College:Georgia (2017–2019)
Draft Year:2019
Draft Round:2
Draft Pick:31
Draft Team:Brooklyn Nets
Career Start:2019
Years1:–present
Team1:Brooklyn Nets
Years2:2019–2020
Team2:Long Island Nets
Highlights:
  • Second-team All-SEC – Coaches (2019)

Nicolas Devir Claxton (born April 17, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs.

High school career

Claxton attended Legacy Charter School in Greenville, South Carolina. In his senior season, he averaged 17.4 points,7.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game and became the fourth player in school history to record 1,000 career points.[1] [2] Claxton was a three-star recruit and chose to play for Georgia over Baylor, Florida State, NC State, and South Carolina.[3]

Professional career

Brooklyn Nets (2019–present)

Early years and limited role (2019–2021)

On June 20, 2019, Claxton was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets.[4] On July 7, the Nets announced that they had signed Claxton.[5] He made his NBA debut on November 8, recording eight points and six rebounds in a 119–115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[6] Claxton suffered a hamstring injury in January 2020 and was assigned to the Nets' NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, on January 10, 2020.[7] On January 20, he scored a season-high 15 points, alongside four rebounds and two assists, in a 117–111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[8] On June 24, the Nets announced that Claxton had undergone successful arthroscopic labrum repair surgery on his left shoulder and was expected to miss the remainder of the 2019–20 season.[9]

Heading to the 2020–21 season the Nets traded center Jarrett Allen to create more minutes for Claxton. On May 12, 2021, Claxton scored a season-high 18 points, alongside five rebounds and two blocks, in a 128–116 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[10] During the playoffs, the Nets faced the Boston Celtics in the first round. Claxton made his playoff debut on May 22, recording six points and five rebounds in a 104–93 Game 1 win.[11] The Nets ended up winning the series in five games,[12] but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games during the second round.[13]

Emerging as a defensive star and increase production (2021–present)

In the off-season the Nets traded starting center DeAndre Jordan and named Claxton as their main starting center. On February 2, 2022, Claxton scored a season-high 23 points, alongside eleven rebounds and five blocks, in a 112–101 loss to the Sacramento Kings.[14] In a rematch of last year's series, the Nets faced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Nets were eliminated in four games, with Claxton averaging 10.5 points and 2.3 blocks per game.[15]

On July 7, 2022, Claxton re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $20 million contract.[16] [17] He was the Nets' starting center entering the 2021–22 season.[18] On January 26, 2023, Claxton scored a career-high 27 points, alongside 13 rebounds and two blocks, in a 130–122 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[19] He ended the year leading the league in field goal percentage at 70.5%, averaged 2.5 blocks per game, 2nd behind Defensive Player of the Year winner Jaren Jackson Jr., and finished 9th in DPOY voting.

On July 6, 2024, Claxton re-signed with the Nets on a reported four-year, $100 million contract.[20] [21]

National team career

In 2014, Claxton played for the United States Virgin Islands at the Centrobasket Under-15 Championship in Panama City, averaging a double-double of 10.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.[22] He made another appearance for the Virgin Islands at the 2015 Centrobasket Under-17 Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game.[23] Claxton competed at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in Valdivia, Chile. He averaged a team-high 12 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, leading his team to seventh place.[24] [25] In the summer of 2018, Claxton joined the senior Virgin Islands national team at qualifying competition for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.[26]

Claxton is eligible for the U.S. Virgin Islands team because his father, Charles, was born in St. Thomas.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 15 || 0 || 12.5 || .563 || .143 || .524 || 2.9 || 1.1 || .1 || .5 || 4.4|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 32 || 1 || 18.6 || .621 || .200 || .484 || 5.2 || .9 || .7 || 1.3 || 6.6|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 47 || 19 || 20.7 || .674 || || .581 || 5.6 || .9 || .5 || 1.1 || 8.7|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 76 || 76 || 29.9 || style="background:#cfecec;"|.705* || .000 || .541 || 9.2 || 1.9 || .9 || 2.5 || 12.6|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 71 || 71 || 29.8 || .629 || .200 || .551 || 9.9 || 2.1 || .6 || 2.1 || 11.8|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 241 || 167 || 25.5 || .661 || .158 || .544 || 7.8 || 1.6 || .7 || 1.8 || 10.3

Play-in

|-| style="text-align:left;"|2022| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 1 || 0 || 28.7 || 1.000 || || .167 || 9.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 5.0 || 13.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 1 || 0 || 28.7 || 1.000 || || .167 || 9.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 5.0 || 13.0

Playoffs

|-| style="text-align:left;"|2021| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 12 || 0 || 10.8 || .483 || || .667 || 2.8 || .6 || .3 || 1.0 || 2.5|-| style="text-align:left;"|2022| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 4 || 0 || 24.5 || .792 || || .182 || 6.3 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 10.5|-| style="text-align:left;"|2023| style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn| 4 || 4 || 29.2 || .720 || || .600 || 8.0 || 1.5 || .3 || 1.8 || 10.5|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 20 || 4 || 17.2 || .654 || || .343 || 4.5 || 1.0 || .5 || 1.4 || 5.7

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"|2017–18| style="text-align:left;"|Georgia| 33 || 5 || 14.7 || .449 || .364 || .523 || 3.9 || .2 || .2 || 1.3 || 3.9|-| style="text-align:left;"|2018–19| style="text-align:left;"|Georgia| 32 || 32 || 31.6 || .460 || .281 || .641 || 8.6 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 2.5 || 13.0|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career| 65 || 37 || 23.0 || .457 || .302 || .611 || 6.2 || 1.0 || .6 || 1.9 || 8.4

Personal life

Claxton is the son of Charles Claxton, a U.S. Virgin Islands native who played college basketball for Georgia and was briefly a member of the Boston Celtics in the 1995–96 NBA season.[27] [28] Nic's younger brother, Chase Claxton, plays Division I basketball for the Winthrop Eagles.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nicolas Claxton . University of Georgia Athletics . May 17, 2019.
  2. Web site: Weiszer . Mark . Freshman Nicolas Claxton brings length, versatility to Bulldogs . . May 17, 2019 . November 1, 2017.
  3. Web site: Sudge . Brandon . Three-star wing Nicolas Claxton signs with Georgia for 2017 . SicEmDawgs . May 17, 2019 . November 14, 2016.
  4. Web site: Brooklyn Nets Select Nicolas Claxton and Jaylen Hands in 2019 NBA Draft. June 20, 2019. NBA.com. June 20, 2019.
  5. Web site: Brooklyn Nets Sign Nicolas Claxton. July 7, 2019. NBA.com. July 7, 2019.
  6. Web site: Friar . Nick . Nic Claxton impressed in NBA debut against Blazers . Nets Wire . September 13, 2023 . November 9, 2019.
  7. News: Nets' Nicolas Claxton: Sent to G League . January 11, 2020 . . January 10, 2020.
  8. Web site: Simmons scores 34 in triple-double, carries 76ers past Nets . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . January 20, 2020.
  9. Web site: NICOLAS CLAXTON MEDICAL UPDATE. June 24, 2020. NBA.com. June 24, 2020.
  10. Web site: Harden returns to score 18 points, Nets beat Spurs 128-116 . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . May 12, 2021.
  11. Web site: Brooks . Matthew . Nicolas Claxton on Game 1 playoff debut against Boston: 'I was ready' . NetsDaily . September 13, 2023 . May 25, 2021.
  12. Web site: Nets head to second round, beat Celtics 123-109 in Game 5 . ESPN . September 13, 2021 . June 1, 2021.
  13. Web site: Bucks edge Nets in OT in Game 7, withstand Durant's 48 . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . June 20, 2021.
  14. Web site: Kings rally in 4th to hand Nets 6th straight loss, 112-101 . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . February 2, 2022.
  15. Web site: Celtics complete 4-game sweep of Nets with 116-112 victory . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . April 25, 2022.
  16. Web site: Brooklyn Nets Re-sign Nic Claxton . NBA.com . July 12, 2022 . July 7, 2022.
  17. Web site: Nets re-sign Nic Claxton to 2-year, $20 million contract: Sources . The Athletic . July 12, 2022 . July 1, 2022.
  18. Web site: Nic Claxton starting to be big-impact player for Nets . February 4, 2023 . NY Post . January 7, 2023.
  19. Web site: Pistons beat Nets, first win in Brooklyn in almost 5 years . ESPN . September 13, 2023 . January 26, 2023.
  20. Adrian. Wojnarowski. Nic Claxton intends to a sign a four-year, $100M to return to the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell ESPN.. 1806109606613061728. wojespn. June 26, 2024. July 14, 2024.
  21. Web site: Brooklyn Nets Re-Sign Nic Claxton. NBA.com. July 6, 2024. July 6, 2024.
  22. Web site: Nicolas Claxton's profile - 2014 Centrobasket U15 Championship for Men . . May 17, 2019.
  23. Web site: Nicolas Claxton's profile - 2015 Centrobasket U17 Championship for Men . . May 17, 2019.
  24. Web site: Nicolas Claxton's profile - 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men . . May 17, 2019.
  25. Web site: Nicolas Claxton Player Profile . . May 17, 2019.
  26. Web site: Hebert . Michael . Georgia basketball's Nicolas Claxton shines for the U.S. Virgin Islands team in qualifying competition for the 2019 FIBA World Cup . . May 17, 2019 . June 30, 2018.
  27. Web site: Weiszer . Mark . Claxton connection to Georgia continues as Bulldogs land son of former player . . May 17, 2019 . November 14, 2016.
  28. Web site: Charles Claxton . . May 17, 2019.
  29. News: Zietlow . Alex . 18 March 2021 . He has NBA genes. But at Winthrop, Claxton will do what his brother and dad didn't . Charlotte Observer . 28 August 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220830162428/https://archive.today/20220830162144/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article250012154.html . 2022-08-30.