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After considering selling the pick, the Nets chose Nic Claxton, a 6’11” shot blocking power forward from Georgia at No. 31.
Claxton, a 20-year-old sophomore from South Carolina, averaged 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for Georgia. He also shot 28 percent from three.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported both that the Nets were considering trading the pick and that they settled on Claxton. The pick was originally the property of the Knicks. The Nets acquired it in the Jahlil Okafor Nik Stauskas trade in December 2017.
Nets plan to keep Claxton, who made remarkable improvement under Tom Crean at Georgia last season. https://t.co/DT8YFR5seN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
Following the pick, Woj retweeted a Draft Express post that included a short video on Claxton’s ambitions.
Nic Claxton has been selected by the #Brooklyn #Nets with the 31st pick. The 7-foot + 20-year-old #Georgia #Bulldogs center averaged 3.1 BLKS per-40 in 32 GP this season, which was 3rd among collegiate 2019 DX mock #NBADraft picks, to go with 1.3 STLS at the defensive end. pic.twitter.com/VBUEczjLza
— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) June 21, 2019
As a second round pick, Claxton is not guaranteed a contract and can be sent to the G League. In an impromptu press conference early Friday morning at HSS Training Center, Claxton laid out his first priority...
Nic Claxton says he’s excited to work alongside and learn from Jarrett Allen. pic.twitter.com/i2QlGWMRmh
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) June 21, 2019
Several draftniks had Claxton going in the mid to late first round, including The Ringer, which had him between Nos. 17 and 21 in its last mocks. NBADraft.net had him at 24. ESPN had Claxton at No. 21 in its last mock. Here’s how they described his game...
Claxton has been steadily moving up draft boards thanks to his intriguing combination of length, mobility, defensive versatility and perimeter skill, even if it’s clear that his body will need to fill out significantly to handle the rigors of NBA big men.
His calling card is his defense ...
His biggest negative as an NBA player, according to several of the draftniks, was strength, although he has beefed up in the last year.
Sean Marks told reporters early Friday that the team was targeting Nic Claxton late in the first round and were happy to get him at No. 31.
In April, when he decided to declare for the Draft, Claxton tweeted this...
To the people doubting me I love it. I worked for everything I have. I wasn’t a top 100 guy coming out of high school. I stayed the course and grinded whether I was playing 3 minutes a game or 30 minutes. Never give up on yourself and always keep a positive attitude. It’l
— Clax (@_claxton33) April 19, 2019
In an interview with Michael Scotto, Claxton’s father, a former Celtic, says he thinks the Nets made a big move, that his son will be an “all-star in two years.”
- ‘He’s going to bust his ass every day’: Nicolas Claxton joins the Nets ready to ‘get to work’ - Michael Scotto - The Athletic New York