So far, Nets center Nic Claxton has certainly done his part after Brooklyn rewarded him with a two-year, $20 million deal this offseason. Through 36 games played, the fourth-year big man is averaging career-high’s across the board.
Claxton currently sits atop the league with an average of 2.6 blocks per game, 73 percent shooting from the field, and 72 percent shooing on two-pointers. He’s also averaging 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Claxton’s strong performance continued with an impressive all-around effort in Friday night’s 108-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Going against one of the more talented bigs in the league, Jonas Valanciunas, Claxton put up nine points, reeled in nine rebounds, and had five blocks to go along with four assists. He now has three or more blocks over his past five games, and over that span he’s swatted a total 23 shots.
The improving youngster's recent play has certainly caught the attention of his teammates and head coach Jacque Vaughn.
“He’s starting to learn different ways to impact the game. He saves us on a lot of possessions.. From beginning to end we’re showing a lot of confidence in him to leave him in with two fouls or put him in with three fouls. He’s so important for us and he’s proving it on a nightly basis,” Vaughn said.
“He’s a confident player, always looking to get better. When opportunity meets preparation, you become a good player," Kevin Durant added. "He’s learning by the day. He’s commanded a lot out there as a big, telling us where to be, speaking up on the switches protecting the rim, rebounding the basketball. He’s doing a lot for us."
It’s not just those around the organization who have taken notice of Claxton’s continued improvement. In the early stages of fan voting for this year's All-Star game, he ranked in the top-10 amongst Eastern Conference front court players.
While making that list certainly is a big deal to Claxton, he knows there's still more work to be done.
"It was a surprise to me. It’s definitely a big deal. But it just makes you want to climb up on that list even higher. So I’ve just got to stick with it and keep doing what I’m doing."
He added: "I feel like I can play even better, I can be more consistent. I can produce even more when I’m out there. So I’m not getting complacent. That’s good that my name is on that list, but I still have a lot more work to do."