With their frontcourt in disrepair, the Nets handed Noah Clowney his first career start.
It was a tough lesson for the teenage rookie.
Clowney had seven points and 10 rebounds against the Kings on Sunday, but finished with a minus-26 rating and looked muscular all night.
“I think it was a terrible start,” Clowney told the Post. “But to be honest, it’s the same thing whether you start or come off the bench. You want to bring energy from the moment you step on the court.”
He had to deal with Sacramento star Damantas Sabonis, who had 18 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, but fell just short of adding another triple-double to his league-leading 26 points. .
“He just has to be a part of it, you know? This is good for him,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “He’s got to be in it, go through it, learn from it, just until you stop doing it, and he’s not going to stop doing it. Players like this have been around forever. — Sabonis is an All-Star — so hopefully he can watch tape and maybe get something from Sabonis to bring into the game, maybe go lift some weights.
“So this is a great moment for him right now. He’s not going to hang his head and get discouraged by it. He’s actually getting better at this. So it’s great for these young players to go out there and become All-Stars. I’m happy to have the opportunity to play against high-class players and spend some meaningful time with them.”
Clowney, 19, started games for the Nets as a teenager alongside Jarrett Allen, Derrick Favors and Cliff T. Robinson.
A total of seven teenagers played for the franchise.
Fellow rookie Jalen Wilson also made his third career start as he and Clowney played well in last night’s come-from-behind win over Detroit.
He had 11 points and six boards.
The move made sense because starting center Nick Claxton and forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson were all available.
But it’s worth noting that Ollie chose him over Dayron Sharpe to be the center.
“Just be a star in his role. Sometimes it changes. His job is to keep me wanting to play him, and that’s like anything,” Olly said. “So he has to continue to be prepared and that’s what he’s doing. He’s a consummate professional who has shown up and done his job and taken his vitamins and been ready. I know he’ll be ready when his name is called and he goes into overtime.”
Dennis Smith Jr. (right hip synovitis), Claxton (left ankle sprain), Finney Smith (left knee effusion) and Johnson (left big toe sprain) all missed the game.
