Nick Claxton continues his career-best start with his second triple-double of the season

About a quarter of the way through Brooklyn Nets‘season, Nic Clacton continues to play the best basketball of his career. Claxton recorded a triple-double during Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on 5-of-9 shooting.

It was his second triple-double of the season after going zero through his first six NBA campaigns

Claxton is averaging 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 blocks on 55.7 percent shooting this season. The veteran center’s play has been a revelation for the Nets, who have given him additional on-ball responsibilities. His 23.1 assist percentage is the third highest among all centers, behind only Nikola Jokic (47.1) and Alperen Sengun (29.5).

“Just looking at the floor, finding my teammates. I just feel like I’ve grown a lot as a facilitator. And when you have teammates like Michael (Porter Jr.), always open, always making shots, it makes it pretty easy,” Claxton said IES Network after Saturday’s win.

The most impressive aspect of the big man’s development as a playmaker is his ability to take care of the ball.

Nick Claxton is off to a career-best start in an expanded role with the Nets

Clacton is averaging just 1.5 turnovers per game despite posting a career usage rate of 18.0 percent. His 2.94 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks third among the 56 centers with a usage rate above 15.0 percent, behind only Kristaps Porzingis (3.33) and Jokic (3.16).

Clacton has developed a high-level relationship with Michael Porter Jr.who is enjoying a breakthrough as the Nets’ leading offensive option.

“Mike is just an extremely high-level basketball player,” Claxton said. “He’s been in Denver all those years playing with the Joker, and he just knows how to get open. He knows when to cut, he knows when to dribble. So he makes the game a lot easier for me, and everybody, really.”

Porter Jr. emerged as an All-Star candidate while fueling the Nets’ turnaround, averaging 28.2 points – 10th in the NBA – on 51/42/83 shooting over his last 13 appearances. His chemistry with Claxton on the dribble, backdoor cuts and high and low passes ensured a steady stream of open looks.

“We’re getting better and better at reading the defense. I feel like we’re just learning each other’s game a little bit more,” Porter Jr. said of his minutes with Claxton. “He’s looking for me on the floor when the ball gets stuck. We’re getting into an easy action, which we didn’t do at the beginning of the season. We’ve been getting stuck a lot. So I feel like we’re flowing better and getting used to each other more.”

In addition to his death, Clacton was equally impressive as a driver amid his extra reps on the ball. He’s averaging 6.7 shots per 36 minutes, nearly double any other season in his career, and is shooting 50.6 percent in those games.

NOTHING. CLAXTON.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE.#NETSonIES pic.twitter.com/JrCIP5ZVTU

— IES Network (@IESNetwork) December 7, 2025

After a slow start to the season defensively, Clacton began to make an impact. He blocked three shots in Saturday’s win and has recorded multiple blocks in nine of his last 18 appearances.

After posting a league-worst 128.5 defensive rating during their 0-7 start, the Nets have posted a 115.9 rating (17th) over their last 16 games (6-10).