Prior to Wednesday's tipoff, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said that with just eight players available, this time will be “meaningful” because some players may not otherwise get a chance. I was hoping that they would make it into something unique.
Noah Clowney has already established himself early in the rotation, recently stepping into a starting role following the Dorian Finney-Smith trade, and he did just that, posting a career-high 29 Scored points and revealed improved aspects of his game. The Nets lost to the Pistons 113-98 at Barclays Center.
Clowney went 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, the second-most made 3-pointers in a game this season behind his 6-of-9 shot against the Bucks on Dec. 26. It became.
“What I'm saying is I want to keep the team honest. I don't like teams to undermine me because I'm a weak shooter,” Clowney later said. “I feel like it hurts the whole team. So if I can shoot the ball and keep somebody honest and space the floor for guys to get into the lane, then It was always a goal. So after Bama, I think I shot 29 percent at Alabama, but I knew that I could shoot. I think someone took a chance and we're here.”
The second-year forward has been growing in confidence from deep lately.
In his lone season at Alabama in 2022-23, Clowney shot 28.3 percent from 3-point range, but only attempted 3.3 attempts per game.
This season, his attempts per game (5.3) have skyrocketed compared to his rookie year (1.4).
Additionally, his percentage from beyond the arc jumped from 36.4 to 38.5.
“I think whenever you perform well, it gives you confidence because you know what you're capable of. But when you do it at the highest level in a real match where it matters, It translated,” Clowney said. “So, yeah, it feels good. It's definitely a confidence booster.”
Fernandes said: “He's showing us what he's capable of. He's showing us the coach, he's showing us his teammates. What that does is when we get the group back, I think he's I'm totally comfortable calling out certain things because I've seen him do it and he's shown me he can do it, so that's what our group is all about. Just make it better… Now, Noah is 29. I see him scoring, so I know he can call A, B, C. He can score 29 now, tomorrow and a month from now, so that's a really good thing. .”
Clowney was given space by the Pistons on his first few swish attempts.
However, as the game progressed they closed in on him and started running if he had an open shot.
“I know they want to take guys off the line. They can take us off the arc and they might be ready for a shot fake or whatever,” Clowney said. said. “It's really just reading and reacting. If someone's running full speed at you, even if you shoot, they're probably going to block that shot.”
The 20-year-old Clowney is averaging 21.3 minutes per game this season, but has averaged 29 minutes in the past 10 games since mid-December, when the Nets made two big trades for future draft picks. are.
Including stoppage time, he has scored 12.9 points in those games, shooting 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.
In his early roles, Clowney shows maturity early in his career.
The Nets will need that in a rebuilding year, especially ahead of a six-game, 10-day West Coast trip that begins Friday in Denver.
“I love his personality. Great sense of humor. His work ethic is great for a 20-year-old kid,” Fernandez said of Clowney. “He treats himself like an adult. A mature worker. He wants more and expects more from himself, so you can see that he's frustrated.”
