The Brooklyn Nets have caught many people by surprise. This summer, they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. While many expected the Nets to easily be among the worst teams in the league, they have been decent to begin the season. Through 12 games, the Nets are 5-7. Though this is a losing record, it is still good enough for the No. 8 seed in the East. If the season ended today, the Nets would be a Play-In team. Furthermore, they will potentially see the return of Bojan Bogdanovic next month, who the team acquired in the Bridges trade. However, on the flip side, the team will be without starting center Nic Claxton due to a back injury.
Per Michael Scotto, according to the Nets, Claxton suffered a lower back strain and will miss approximately one week.
Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton has been diagnosed with a lower back strain. His status will be updated again in one week. Claxton is scheduled to receive an epidural injection later today and is currently listed as out, team says. pic.twitter.com/5RNspAFaGD
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 15, 2024
Brooklyn Nets’ Nic Claxton Sidelined For a Week Due to Injury
Nic Claxton’s Season Before the Injury
Prior to his injury, the 25-year-old appeared in 11 of the Nets’ 12 games this season. He started the last five. On the year, he is averaging 8.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks. Additionally, he is shooting 65.1% from the field. While it is a small sample size, these numbers are down from Claxton’s last two seasons. In Claxton’s place, the Nets will rely more heavily on Noah Clowney, Day’Ron Sharpe (once he returns), and Ben Simmons.
This past offseason, the Nets re-signed Claxton to a four-year, $97 million contract. After signing Claxton to a new deal, Nets general manager Sean Marks spoke highly of him, praising his development and what he can bring in the future.
“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,” Marks said.
The Last Word
Fortunately for Claxton and the Nets, his injury seems like a short-term one. He will be re-evaluated in one week, leaving the door open for him to make his return soon. In the next week, the Nets will face the Knicks (twice), the Charlotte Hornets, and the Philadelphia 76ers. After their game in Philadelphia, the Nets will begin a tough three-game road trip on the West Coast. During this span, they will face the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, and old friend Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Many believe Brooklyn’s solid start is a fluke. However, they have a chance to disprove this by competing against some of the top teams in the league.
