Brooklyn Nets re-sign Nic Claxton

The Nets have re-signed Nic Claxton.|Art or Photo Credit: AP

BROOKLYN – The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed center Nic Claxton to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

“Nic is an ascending player who has only begun to scratch the surface of what he’s capable of on both ends of the court,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “With his defensive versatility and developing offensive skillset, we believe Nic has a bright future ahead of him and we’re looking forward to his continued growth in Brooklyn.”

Claxton has spent his entire three-year NBA career with the Nets after being selected with the 31st overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft by Brooklyn. In 94 games (20 starts), Claxton holds career averages of 7.3 points on 64.6 percent shooting from the field, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.7 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old South Carolina native has increased his games played, starts, points per game, field goal percentage and rebounds per game in each of his three seasons. In the 2021-22 campaign, Claxton saw action in 47 games (19 starts), registering averages of 8.7 points on 67.4 percent shooting from the field, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game. After the All-Star break, Claxton posted a team-best defensive rating of 106.1 and ranked third on the team in net rating (7.4), trailing only Kevin Durant (10.0) and Kyrie Irving (9.6). Claxton has also appeared in 16 playoff games across the last two seasons, averaging 4.5 points on 62.3 percent shooting from the field, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.2 minutes per contest. In four games in Brooklyn’s first round series versus Boston in 2022, Claxton recorded averages of 10.5 points on 79.2 percent shooting from the field, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game.

Prior to beginning his NBA career, Claxton spent two collegiate seasons (2017-19) at the University of Georgia. As a sophomore, he averaged a team-high 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds (third in the SEC), 1.1 steals and 2.5 blocks (10th in the nation) while adding 1.8 assists in 31.6 minutes per game on his way to being named to the All-SEC Second Team. Overall, Claxton appeared in 65 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.9 blocks in 23.0 minutes per contest.