Nets developing Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson for next season
Nets youngsters Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Noah Clowney already planned how to commemorate his best NBA game so far in his rookie season
“Ball and jersey will probably get framed,” Clowney said after scoring 22 points with 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Pacers. “My first real big performance, so yeah, I'm going to hold onto that.”
With five games left in a disappointing Nets season, moments of joy are rare. But Clowney’s breakout game against a playoff contender is why now is about evaluating the young talent.
The team can't add talent through the draft thanks to having no picks this year. But they don’t need to. There are five players on the team 23 and under signed through next season, with Clowney as the youngest at 19.
So why not keep looking at what's here? The Nets already know Cam Thomas’ potential and Day’Ron Sharpe took a solid leap this year. Clowney and Jalen Wilson need reps to audition for rotation minutes next season.
The Nets can look at their opponents Saturday for evidence. The Pistons, who’ve been in a long rebuild, have given leeway to second-year pros Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren besides third-year star Cade Cunningham. Fourth-year center James Wiseman also has logged more minutes off the bench.
But while Duren, Cunningham and Ivey are starters, Clowney and Wilson are reserves slowly being pushed into the fire. Both have been on the court in fourth quarters lately and Wilson delivered clutch free throws late to defeat the Pacers.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is probably just pacing and the style of play,” Wilson said last month. "Obviously it’s tremendously different from college. So being able to transition from that and find different moments when to cut and do things.”
Wilson’s got a greater case for more minutes next season because he’s been in the rotation since the trade deadline in February. His rebounding and court IQ are good assets and another year of Summer League should help him grow confidence as a shooter.
Clowney is more tricky. He didn’t start playing meaningful minutes until the season was seemingly out of postseason contention. Take away Wednesday’s game and he’s shown flashes of meaningful contribution.
The advanced stats say playing him at power forward alongside Nic Claxton or Day’Ron Sharpe has yielded good results. In 32 minutes, lineups with Sharpe and Clowney have outscored teams by 34.4 points per 100 possessions. With Sharpe-Claxton pairings, the Nets have outscored teams by 10.3 points in 23 minutes.
Is that enough for it to work next season? It’s too soon to know. For now, Clowney’s task is being as consistent as he is comfortable on the court.
"I think I can guard and I think I can get better than that,” Clowney said. "I can space the floor and then I think next year, I'm going to have a lot more I can bring to the team, even than I got now.”
Dariq Whitehead, the third rookie of the group, will have to wait for the offseason to develop. The Nets can only hope he recovers from a third surgery in two years, this time for a stress reaction in his left shin.
The Pistons, who haven’t made the playoffs in five years, are an extreme reminder of how long growing pains can be. The Nets are in better shape, of course, but they can't be in development mode next season.
That's why the burden of improvement isn’t just on the veterans. It's also on the younger players and that’s why these games are key for Clowney and Wilson to see how they fit in going forward.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
