When Nic Claxton faces off again against one of the best centers in basketball, the Nets big man will hope he is staring into his future.
Bam Adebayo used to be a lot like Claxton: a growing rim protector with excellent agility and hops plus a nice touch around the rim.
But that was several years ago for the two-time Heat All-Star, who has emerged on both ends as a dominant force capable of beating opponents with a jump shot or by defending virtually anyone on the court.
Adebayo’s game developed until he became part of the revolution of the modern big man — types who have to be decent defensively when switched onto a guard and types who become so much more valuable when a jump shot is honed.
Can Claxton become the next Adebayo?
“I’m trying to make those same steps,” the Nets center said at practice Friday, a day before his team takes on the Heat at Barclays Center. “That’s how we play the game. You come out in the offseason, you work on your weaknesses, and you just keep making those strides.”
Claxton’s strengths have been apparent and been sharpened in now his fifth NBA season.
He is an excellent rebounder, a good leaper with a nice touch around the hoop and a rare ability defensively to switch onto any offensive player, holding his own in Atlanta on Wednesday when paired against Trae Young.
Weaknesses for Claxton have revolved around a narrow offensive game.
The 6-foot-11 lefty has yet to demonstrate a mid-range game and took just 17 shots all of last season beyond 10 feet.
Claxton’s jumper is still coming around — but it showed a peek of competence Wednesday, when he knocked down a 12-footer after Clint Capela gave him plenty of space.
That might be the next step.
“I got a 3-ball coming, too. Wait on it,” said Claxton, who has yet to try one this season. “I want to find my stride on the mid-range and hit some occasional 3-pointers for sure.”
Adebayo wanted to do the same.
As a Heat rookie in 2017-18, the Newark native and Kentucky product lived in the paint, 84.5 percent of his shots coming within 10 feet.
He began to take steps forward by taking a step back and developing a perimeter game that has allowed him to become not a traditional center but a centerpiece of Miami’s offense.
Adebayo can handle the ball; can run around and set hard screens, tiring out less-mobile centers in the process; can pass and can knock down a jumper.
Entering play against the Knicks on Friday, just 47.8 percent of his shots had come within 10 feet.
“The strides that he’s made throughout his career, being [one of] the first guys where he was more a defender, and now he’s really extended his game,” Claxton said. “It’s always fun going against a talented big.”
The two faced off last week in Miami, when the Nets’ mobile center went 7-for-7 with 16 points and six rebounds, and the Heat’s mobile center scored 20 on 8 of 15 shooting with seven rebounds.
Claxton was not overmatched (with an exception here or there against the stronger Adebayo) and continues to get into a rhythm after missing eight straight games with a sprained ankle.
Claxton’s minutes have begun to ramp up — particularly important with the absence of Ben Simmons — and his numbers have begun picking up.
The 24-year-old is shooting 78.6 percent from the field with 16 points per game in his past three.
When Adebayo developed into a versatile defensive monster and all-around offensive threat, he earned a five-year extension worth at least $163 million.
Claxton signed a two-year, $17 million pact with the Nets before the 2022-23 season that immediately looked like a bargain as his defensive game elevated last campaign.
If he takes another leap forward, as Adebayo did, Claxton could be looking at a much bigger payday next offseason.
“Clax has the ability to do a lot of the similar things that Bam does, whether it’s pushing in transition, whether it’s his ability to affect the rim,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn, who otherwise declined to compare the two because he doesn’t like inviting such expectations. “But definitely a fondness of Bam, of his game, and what he does for that team every single night.”
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