Following Monday’s seventh straight loss to open the season, a tight-lipped Noah Clowney kept his locker room comments brief, but noted that Jordi Fernández met with players individually and as a team to address how they can sustain effort more consistently.
“Transparency,” Nic Claxton said when asked about those meetings. “Just trying to get everyone on the same page, and really just trying to get us to play harder consistently, and I think we did a better job at it today.”
Competing for a full 48 minutes has been Brooklyn’s biggest challenge through its winless start. The fire that defined Fernández’s first season has been missing in Year 2, but the team’s meetings before Monday’s 16-point loss to Minnesota appeared to make an impact.
The Nets still fell short, but they looked sharper defensively and more connected overall. Their offense froze in the fourth quarter, yet the energy was better, a small step forward even in defeat.
“I think we played hard,” Clowney said. “I think in the fourth they made shots, we didn’t, that’s the reality. And a lot of transition stuff we could’ve avoided, but I think we played a lot better. We looked like a team today, I think.”
Fernández’s words appeared to resonate most with Clowney and Claxton.
Clowney earned his first start of the season Monday in place of Michael Porter Jr., who was out for personal reasons. He provided an immediate defensive spark, diving on the floor for loose balls and picking up two early steals.
While it wasn’t his most efficient offensive night, the third-year forward delivered one of his better performances of the young season, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals, including four made 3-pointers. Fernández urged him to play hard above all else, and his effort was central to Brooklyn’s improved competitiveness at both ends of the floor.
“I just think I got more engaged,” Clowney said. “I made it a point to get engaged on the defensive end, and I think shots fell because I was more locked in. That’s really it.”
Meanwhile, Claxton has been on a tear over his last three games, averaging 18.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 71% from the field. The veteran center was Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer Monday with 19 points, eight rebounds and one block in just under 30 minutes, but what stood out most was his playmaking. He dished out a team-high seven assists, the second-highest total of his career.
“Definitely feeling more comfortable knowing the spots I’m going to be in, and picking my spots, wanting to be aggressive,” Claxton said.
Claxton’s steady play and calm demeanor have made him one of Brooklyn’s few anchors during this rough stretch, and his message to teammates was simple.
“Times like this, whether it’s success or whether it’s rough times, it really can show your true colors,” Claxton said. “So, we just have to stay together. We have a lot of high-character individuals in the locker room, and we just have to keep chopping, and we’ll get over that hump and get a win.”
