Noah Clowney Shines for the Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have put a strong focus on developing their rookies, and among them, Noah Clowney has shown the most remarkable progress.
In a recent game against the Knicks, Clowney scored a career-high of 31 points, including making 7 out of 13 attempts from beyond the arc. He also contributed with four rebounds and three assists.
Looking more aggressive compared to last year, Clowney has clearly gained confidence in his game. “Yeah, trying to be aggressive helps your teammates. That’s really it,” he remarked.
At just 21 years old, he’s still younger than his rookie teammate Danny Wolfe and many in the latest draft class, yet he’s made his way into the starting lineup. Over the last seven games, he’s averaging 18.1 points and hitting around 40% of his three-point shots.
In contrast, Giare Williams found himself out of the rotation altogether. Head coach Jordi Fernandez made this decision following a series of disappointing defensive performances. “That was my decision. I wanted to challenge him with his defense,” Fernandez explained. He noted that Williams showed elite defensive skills last year, yet felt that same energy was lacking this season.
Fernandez further emphasized the need for players to refocus, mentioning Jalen Wilson’s readiness whether in the game or not. “It’s about giving someone else a chance to prepare for the next opportunity,” he said. The goal is for players to become the best defensive assets they can be, and he believes they’re capable of achieving that.
Meanwhile, Ben Saraf is sidelined with an injury, while Nolan Traore and Danny Wolfe have faced challenges, primarily in the G League. Interestingly, Traore is seen as the one needing the most development, but he’s had some encouraging performances on Long Island lately.
Recently, Traore scored 15 points with nine assists and two rebounds in a G League game, and he tallied 28 points and nine assists just a few days earlier. “We want to play a competitive, winning game of basketball, and that starts with habits,” Fernandez remarked. He emphasized the importance of making good choices on the court, highlighting Traore’s impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 9 to 3 as a positive takeaway.
