The net saw what was worth focusing on Thursday night.
Even if that might be difficult, it was something that would continue to develop, especially ahead of the must-see game with Charlotte on Saturday.
Cam Johnson went low over Nic Claxton as the Nets led the Warriors 10 points in the first quarter at Barclays Center, but no options were found for Draymond Green.
Johnson then cuts towards Nets center, the net center returned the ball to his teammate, and Johnson knocked down a three-pointer.
After some possessions, Claxton was dribbling the ball near the free throw line and saw the Open Giare Williams.
He quickly handed it out to Young Forward, ejecting three pointers to extend the net lead to 25-5.
The net eventually saw the Warriors erupt the lead and Stephen Curry erupted on a 40-point night, but Claxton showed he was a weapon at the top of the key when orchestrating the offense with a triple-double performance that included a career-high 10 assist.
“Yeah, I think he played an easy game. Not all games are the same,” coach Jordi Fernandez said after the game. “There are some games where the team needs to score more because they put pressure on the rims and he does a good job finishing the transitions. And today he was the guy who found his teammate. You can see it with 10 assists, this is great to see. 10 assists and 2 turnovers, great, great, quickly. I'm so proud of him. Like you said, near the triple double, we'll certainly see it at some point.”
Realizing he had been clicking from the start, Claxton matched five assists in the first quarter and six at halftime to his previous career-high marks.
Claxton set a franchise record for assisting in the center's game.
Mike Gumiski held the previous record of nine set for the 76ers in 1986.
Claxton has yet to record a triple double in his six-year career.
He was one basket (8 points) and one rebound (9) from the feat.
But if he continues to get stronger at the top of the key and develop this playmaking ability, it could come sooner than it gets late.
Cam Thomas called the center's performance “big time,” which facilitated the offensive flow of the net.
“To be on top of key playmaking, he makes us cut easily and leads us to action faster,” Thomas said. “If he's making such a play, he's really hard to protect us. It makes it easier for him. Most people were trying to send me two, like they were doing, he's wide open. I think he's developing his playmaking, he really helps us as a unit. Definitely he needs to do more of it. It was great to see.”
“That's great, you know… we can play high splits with him, do pindowns, and just adjust the attack from the top of the key,” Tyree Martin said. “He's a great playmaker for the ball screen, but when we're adjusting our offense, I know that's another aspect of our game. He gets 10 assists like that.
Claxton endured up and down rebuilding season with the net, watching four more years in Brooklyn after signing a $100 million extension over the summer.
However, he recently found a few sparks that could lead to some positive seasonal takeaways.
He had multiple blocks (2) and steel (2) on Thursday for the fourth time in his last 10 appearances.
