Noah Clowney facing moment of truth

A couple of days ago, Hoopshype, perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps not, posted a ranking of MVP candidates for the preseason…

Hugo Gonzalez (the bete noir of those afflicted with Marks Derangement Syndrome) was listed at the top of the list despite only playing two games for the Celtics. But if scroll down a bit you’d find the names of three Nets, two of which were no surprise. After all, the Nets are 3-0. There was Julius Randle at No 7, Michael Porter Jr. at No. 14, and, ta-da, Noah Clowney at No. 15.

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That’s got to be encouraging for the 22-year-old, 6’10” big. Full of potential, Clowney has yet to secure a long term commitment. Sean Marks & co. have until next Monday to decide on whether to offer him an extension or let him become a restricted free agent come July. In that case, the Nets would still hold his rights and be able to match any offer he gets elsewhere. Bottom line: it’s unlikely the Nets will make an offer.

And although preseason MVP rankings seem a fool’s errand, Clowney has played well, as Brian Lewis reports.

After an understated opener, Clowney has logged consecutive solid outings.

Starting in a victory over Jaylen Brown and the Sixers, Clowney had 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and 2-for-3 from deep to finish plus-12. And in Monday’s win in Washington, he followed up with 15 points on 5-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from behind the arc.

Clowney added four assists and a steal without a turnover.

Clowney who only turned 22 a few weeks back, has had his ups-and-downs with the Nets, once hitting seven 3-pointers in a game and once batting away seven shots in another (then following up with another 4 in the next game) over the course of his three years in Brooklyn. He has not been a bust. If fact, he wasn’t bad at all last season, averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 66 games, all but six starts. He also went to the line an average of 3.4 times a game. But fans and the front office wanted more.

Things changed dramatically for him the night before the Draft when the Nets traded his front court mate Nic Claxton and a second rounder to Chicago for Julius Randle and a first….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/noah-clowney-facing-moment-truth-232255496.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-14 23:22:00

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