LAS VEGAS — As the Nets pivot away from stars and into a rebuilding process, getting back to finding and developing homegrown talent will be even more important.
That’s why holding on to Nic Claxton this summer wasn’t just important, but vital.
The Nets are doubling down on Claxton, 25, being not just a key starter, but a potential award-winner.
No pressure there.
“I mean, he was our priority this summer,” new coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, obviously age-wise and how he’s progressed all these years.
“And we — me personally, and the organization — believe that he’s still getting much better. [He can win] Defensive Player of the Year. He’s a good playmaker, he can be even a better playmaker. We’re excited about his development. We’re excited that he’s part of the organization for a long time.”
Arguably vying with Isaiah Hartenstein as the top center on the unrestricted free-agent market, Claxton watched the ex-Knick get a three-year, $87 million pact with the Thunder.
But Claxton signed on to be part of Brooklyn’s rebuild, inking a four-year, $97 million deal that paid him $10 million more than his former in-city rival.
“Very important. I give Nic a heck of a lot of credit for seeing the next steps he’s taken year-by-year with his game,” general manager Sean Marks said. “It’s great to find a guy in college, and I give our draft process a lot of credit. [Senior director of college scouting and player evaluation] BJ Johnson has run that for the last few years, did a heck of a job in evaluating and finding Nic and being able to draft Nic where we did.
“And now keep him over the course of these last couple of years’ development that not only Nic has participated in but with our coaching staff. So it’s great to have homegrown talent here. Nic fits in a variety [of] different pathways we want to go. He’s young, he’s still scratching the surface here, and I just love his overall approach to him wanting more and more and more development. So now, with some of the changes to our roster, I think we’ll see even more from Nic as we move forward.”
After drafting Claxton in the second round in 2019, the Nets saw him average 11.8 points, a career-high 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.1 assists last season.
They’ll need even more next season with Mikal Bridges gone and the rebuild on.
Shot-blocking Noah Clowney earned more playing time alongside Claxton down the stretch last season, providing an athletic rim-protecting partner.
“That’s great. We want Clax back,” Clowney said. “I think us on the court together, we’ve shown that we can do a little bit, and we have room to improve and be really good together. So I was excited to see him sign.”
Philadelphia’s re-signing KJ Martin means he can’t be dealt until Jan. 15. He’d been linked as a possible sign-and-trade candidate for Dorian Finney-Smith.