SAN DIEGO — With a new coaching staff in Brooklyn, Noah Clowney wants to make an impression and will likely make his case for future playing time.
If he gets injured, he's definitely going to get that chance sooner or later.
The 20-year-old is certain to play significant minutes in Tuesday night's preseason opener against the Clippers and will most likely slot into the starting lineup at center.
“Yeah. And I feel like that's what we've been doing over the summer,” Clowney told the Post. “I worked all summer. So I think they're watching me in summer league and stuff like that. You're obviously always open to making as good an impression as you can on me.”
Starting center Nic Claxton and backup center Dayron Sharpe both missed the preseason opener with hamstring issues and didn't even go to training camp in California, which leaves Sharpe wondering how much time he'll miss. It is not clear whether this is possible.
That left the door cracked open for Clowney.
One source said he looked “fantastic” in the exhibition game and was also outstanding in camp.
“Noah, he's getting better. He's really getting better,” Dorian Finney-Smith gushed about Clowney. “He's really getting better. You know, the game has slowed down for him. That tends to happen in the second year when you've had some bumps. He's got a lot more confidence. He's able to shoot the ball. So he's going to have another great year. He's been getting better all summer.”
Finney-Smith is the player Clowney could most compete for time at power forward this regular season.
But in the preseason, he will start at center with both Claxton and Sharpe out.
“Yeah, like I said last week, his summer was very, very good. I'm very happy. [with] Where is he now?'' said new manager Jordi Fernandes. “Obviously, he's going to play some minutes in preseason games, and he's fighting for a starting spot just like other players are fighting for, and they're also in the rotation. They're fighting for minutes, they're fighting for a contract, they're fighting for both sides.
“So all that fighting, all that competitiveness is very important for us. And what I want him to do is keep working. That we expect a lot from him. Don't be complacent like a child. And so far, his attitude, his work, everything has been great.”
Clowney, the 21st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had ups and downs in the G League as a rookie.
However, he forced his way into the rotation late in the season, averaging 13.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks over the final six games.
In his final four games as a starter, Clowney averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 boards.
He played as a stretch four alongside Claxton, but struggled in his only start at center.
Clowney, the fifth-youngest player in the league last season, was physically rough on April 7 in a 107-77 loss to Sacramento, where Fernandez was the lead assistant at the time.
Clowney finished with just seven points and a minus-26 rating, but Kings center Domantas Sabonis dominated with 18 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and several blocks.
But Clowney, who will start in Tuesday's preseason opener, is stronger, bigger and, as the Nets hope, better.
Clowney shot a middling 36.4 percent from 3-point range as a rookie, but has slowly grown more confident from deep.
He went 8-of-17 in his final six games and 39.3 percent in Summer League, where he was one of the best players in Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, he'll take another close look at the experienced veterans.
“Honestly, it's the same game,” Clowney shrugged. “The players are different, the scouts are different. They have experience. But to be honest, it's the same game.”
Clowney's improved shooting will be key to whether he ends up playing alongside Claxton, but the 20 pounds he carries will be key when he's under center like he was on Tuesday.
Ivica Zubac, a 7-foot, 240-pound starter in the Clippers' preseason opener, will be a tough test.
But if you do it, you'll leave a good first impression.
