Kevin Ollie on Nic Claxton: “He’s a great passer. He’s unselfish”

Brian Lewis of The New York Post suggests that Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton’s low shot attempts in Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee, only three, mark a season low. As Claxton approaches unrestricted free agency this offseason, Lewis argues that the team should consider involving him more in the offense.

“I’m open a lot,” Claxton told the Post. “I’ve just got to keep putting myself in the right spots and hope that I get the ball.”

As per Lewis, Nic Claxton has emerged as the most consistent player for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2023/24 season. Notably, he has demonstrated growth as a playmaker and in executing pick-and-roll plays. Interim head coach Kevin Ollie has even referred to the 24-year-old as the team’s ‘hub.’

“He’s a great passer. He’s unselfish,” Ollie said of Claxton. “We run a lot of our backside action with him with the ball, some of our high frequencies of offensive possessions, of our (dribble hand-offs) with him handling it, and then him being able to hand it off to Dennis (Schröder) or Mikal (Bridges), then him rolling behind that and getting some lobs, which has been great.

“Him doing those different things has allowed us to play freer basketball. I’m gonna continue to allow him to do that. I allow him to push the ball up the court, take advantages there. I just want him to play unlocked basketball and continue to be our hub. But with freedom comes discipline, too. He has to take care of the ball and continue to do those certain things as well.”