SAN FRANCISCO — The Hack-A-Clax is fully operational. Nic Claxton, coming off the best game of his career, stated that he will continue to accept fouls from his opponents.
Following the Nets’ 120-116 victory over Golden State, Claxton stated, “I take it as a challenge.” “I don’t care. It is practically a sign of respect when opponents foul me. They cannot stop our squad defensively, and all I have to do is make my shots. I will accept this challenge each and every time.
When I start being fouled, I want to go back to the line, so it really gets me going. If that is what teams wish to do, I will accept the challenge. And yes, I will be prepared.”
Claxton shot only 6 of 15 free throws on Sunday and entered the game with a season free throw percentage of 47.1 percent. During a 15-3 run by the Warriors in the third quarter, during which he was repeatedly sent to the free throw line, he shot only one of six attempts.
Jacque Vaughn, who left Claxton, stated, “Yes, that’s the mental aspect of it, that mental and physical.” “This is wonderful news for Nic, since he will be relied upon when the playoffs arrive. And if a club employs this method, he will continue to acquire confidence in his ability to get to the free throw line and shoot. Therefore, we kept him outside. He will remain on the field if a team chooses that method.”
Regardless matter the length of Kevin Durant’s absence, the Nets will play Kyrie Irving in pick-and-rolls and Ben Simmons off the ball. In light of this, Simmons has a great deal of work to do on his screening.
Before Sunday’s victory, Vaughn stated, “You saw us have shooters on the floor and the ball in [Irving’s] hands, with Simmons setting screens, rolling, and putting pressure on the defense.” “Now, we must figure out how to play with both Simmons and Claxton on the court. Simply from a rebounding standpoint, in terms of size. If these two do not play, we will be under pressure.
“Therefore, we must choose how to play, whether Simmons is in a pick-and-roll and he’s a screener — which we must improve — because he has the ability to roll and still find Claxton at the rim or find shooters. Due to his size, we must be able to accomplish both: have him on the court with Claxton, allow him to play in the pocket as a screener, and still keep the ball in Irving’s hands.
With Simmons, who had seven points and 11 assists against Golden State on Sunday, playing primarily on the ball, the Nets attempted only 23 3-pointers in a loss at San Antonio on Tuesday and 26 in a loss at Phoenix on Thursday. That is insufficient for a squad containing Joe Harris, Seth Curry, and Yuta Watanabe.
Irving at the point position and Simmons as a screening forward facilitated the offense in the fourth quarter against the Suns and Friday’s victory over Utah. The results were immediate, as 18 of 41 shots from deep were made.
“The first piece is the amount of three-pointers we attempted against Utah, which was a decent number,” Vaughn said. “It gives us the ability to maximize the value of each shot based solely on points-per-shot.” We can receive it in transition, which indicates that the defense is not established. Additionally, it allows us to get downhill and into the paint… And we can accomplish this early in the day. This portion serves to our advantage.”
Steve Kerr stated as much before to the game.
Kerr stated, “They are likely the best 3-point shooting team in the league.” “They have so many different shooters that if you make a mistake and they move the ball, they’ll be open and you’ll be extremely vulnerable.”
Since departing the Warriors for Brooklyn in 2019, Durant has yet to play in front of supporters at the Chase Center.
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