Brooklyn Nets drafted Nic Claxton (2nd round, 1st pick, overall #31)

19,418 Views | 90 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by imisslarrymunson
StevieBuckets
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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26562226/no-40-prospect-claxton-declares-nba-draft

Pretty shocking if he ends up going, and definitely a big blow to the team. No harm in testing the waters, though, and I'd be stunned if got anything close to a first round grade...

Hope he comes back, but he has to do what he feels is best.
Drillerman
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BIG MISTAKE if he follows through!!
gritsK9
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Agreed. Amazing. You can't fix stupid.
blackmountaindawg
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It is a new process where players can enter the draft, get feedback, and backout, by May 30, if they get discouraging draft potential. If he gets told he will be a 1st round pick, it is not necessarily stupid, or a mistake, to stay in the draft.
begger
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And it is a great idea to do as Yante did after his junior year, to go through the process and get their feedback to work on over the summer after pulling back to school.
gritsK9
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I agree if that's what he does. Some guys aren't going to improve their draft stock by coming back; Claxton is the poster child for someone who will - substantially.
jpzd33
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gritsK9 said:

I agree if that's what he does. Some guys aren't going to improve their draft stock by coming back; Claxton is the poster child for someone who will - substantially.

Not necessarily. After that top 3-4 picks, this is a very very weak draft. He could very well be drafted in the 18-25 range based off athleticism and potential.
Monkdawg
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Nic is just being smart to get an NBA evaluation. Maten did it after his junior year. With the rule change allowing kids to get an agent through the eval process, it just makes sense to do it. I think ultimately Nic comes back, but this is the right move for him. If he ends up staying in the draft, yes, it hurts us short term, but it shows that Crean is behind their aspirations. This helps us in recruiting. Anyone think Nic is even sniffing the draft if Fox is still coach? Not me. Nic got to show off how versatile he is last season, but he still has much to work on.
gritsK9
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JMO, but if Nic stays in the draft, regardless of where he is drafted on "potential", it is a mistake. Given the current state of his game, G league is his ceiling, with Turkey or Serbia more likely than the NBA.
jpzd33
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gritsK9 said:

JMO, but if Nic stays in the draft, regardless of where he is drafted on "potential", it is a mistake. Given the current state of his game, G league is his ceiling, with Turkey or Serbia more likely than the NBA.
If he's reached his ceiling, than it makes 1000% sense for him to go... Especially if he has a chance to get drafted in the 1st round.. Max the $$
Drillerman
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If Nic Claxton gets picked in the 1st round of the NBA draft I will be SHOCKED!! He is a good player right not close to a GREAT player!! 2nd team SEC??? Don't blame him for testing the waters though!! Hope he stays for his own development!! Go Dawgs!!!
jpzd33
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allanhixon@msn.com said:

If Nic Claxton gets picked in the 1st round of the NBA draft I will be SHOCKED!! He is a good player right not close to a GREAT player!! 2nd team SEC??? Don't blame him for testing the waters though!! Hope he stays for his own development!! Go Dawgs!!!


It's a very weak draft and he has potential. Conference awards and college production means very little in terms of NBA draft status. Plenty of lottery picks have never been a 1st team all conference. Or any team all conference. He's a 7footer who can jump out of the building and handle the rock and has a decent enough shot that can be developed. It's really not a huge stretch for him to be drafted in the20-25 range or so. Zach Collins was a top 10 pick a few years ago and he didn't even start. Clax is a fairly similar player to him. Just needs to develop his shot a bit more.

Demar Derozan could do nothing except jump and dunk in college. Top 10 pick and now a perennial All Star and an All NBA player

CJ McCollum. Top 10 pick. Spent the first year or so of his career in the G League. Now he's a start putting up 20+/game making 25 mil or so/yr

Haney
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It might be a weak draft but a LOT of players are coming out, well over 100-and that doesn't count SR's although I am guessing not many SR's actually get drafted but I have not done the research. That also doesn't account for all the EURO/overseas players that will be eligible. I do know that there are only TWO rounds in the NBA draft, and there are 30 teams, so 60 players are drafted??

Nic has a lot of ability-his size alone makes him attractive but he is so skinny, and I honestly don't think he is NBA ready yet but if he gets a 1st round draft, he should 100% stay in the draft. He can workout with an NBA team and be getting paid instead of going to school and playing in college. That being said, I will be very surprised if he gets a 1st round grade.
gritsK9
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jpzd33 said:

gritsK9 said:

JMO, but if Nic stays in the draft, regardless of where he is drafted on "potential", it is a mistake. Given the current state of his game, G league is his ceiling, with Turkey or Serbia more likely than the NBA.
If he's reached his ceiling, than it makes 1000% sense for him to go... Especially if he has a chance to get drafted in the 1st round.. Max the $$
I would agree, if he's reached his ceiling, which I definitely don't believe he has yet come close to. That's the whole point, and why he should come back.
blackmountaindawg
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Someone mentioned Nic as being too skinny. So was Anthony Davis when he was drafted #1 out of UK in 2012. 7 years later AD is 250lbs+. NBA knows with proper training, they can add weight/strength.
jpzd33
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gritsK9 said:

jpzd33 said:

gritsK9 said:

JMO, but if Nic stays in the draft, regardless of where he is drafted on "potential", it is a mistake. Given the current state of his game, G league is his ceiling, with Turkey or Serbia more likely than the NBA.
If he's reached his ceiling, than it makes 1000% sense for him to go... Especially if he has a chance to get drafted in the 1st round.. Max the $$
I would agree, if he's reached his ceiling, which I definitely don't believe he has yet come close to. That's the whole point, and why he should come back.
But if he has a shot at being a 1st round pick, why would he come back and try to develop at UGA vs the NBA? Especially with how weak the draft is. What legit bigs are there in this draft? Bol Bol maybe. But Bruno Fernando? Naz Reid? Clax probably has much more potential than both guys. Next season you got Wiseman, and Stewart and Vernon Carey and Jaden McDaniels. And the Smith dude from Maryland is really really good. There is a ton more competition. I don't think it is very definitive at all that Clax improves his draft status by coming back. He may improve, but he'd be going up against a much better crop of bigs. If he is told he is a 1st round pick, he's not going to improve upon that too much if at all. He should go and not even think twice
Monkdawg
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Nic is nowhere near the player Anthony Davis was at the time he was drafted. AD was already a legit #1 pick (not just 1st round, but #1 overall), and Nic might be a 2nd rounder. Not a good comparison. Nic's career could easily fizzle out, so he needs his education. Do you not think Yante was a better player than Nic? I sure do. The only thing Nic has is length, and that's good, but it's not enough.
Haney
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Agree Monk, Yante was the much better player when he went through this process but, he didn't have the length, which is a big thing with blocking shots, but Nic is skinny when it comes to trying to post anyone and he is not a good enough shooter from the outside to just hang out there.

Everyone is saying no big men but dang if I don't see a LOT of big men in the NBA currently are foreign players-and I suspect that will be the case this draft as well. I have not looked to see who might be available but I am quite sure there will be a handful of bigs not coming from college basketball.

Bottom line is this and it is quite simple-Nic did the right thing, I believe we all can agree there. Doesn't hurt to test the waters-if he has a great evaluation process and is told by enough people "in the know" that he will be a 1st rounder, he should go without ANY hesitation. IF he is told he might get drafted in the second, it becomes a decision of do you want to take that chance-possibly become a FA, just to go ahead and start getting paid while you develop, OR do you want to go back, work on what you are told you need to work on and get into the first round the next year. I personally believe, and maybe I am saying this with my heart more than my head, he is NOT ready and could really improve his game coming back for another year and playing with a more talented supporting cast. But time will tell. Good luck to him and his family as they decide what direction they want to go.
blackmountaindawg
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Monkdawg said:

Nic is nowhere near the player Anthony Davis was at the time he was drafted. AD was already a legit #1 pick (not just 1st round, but #1 overall), and Nic might be a 2nd rounder. Not a good comparison. Nic's career could easily fizzle out, so he needs his education. Do you not think Yante was a better player than Nic? I sure do. The only thing Nic has is length, and that's good, but it's not enough.
I have seen some draft "experts" saying NC could go in the 1st round. Besides body type, where did I compare AD and NC? it wouldn't be too much of a reach to think a NBA team would use a #30 pick on a skinny guy like NC, knowing they can put weight on him?

We'll see what he can show at the pre draft camps. Hope he "flops" and comes back next season.
blackmountaindawg
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Quite often NBA teams draft on potential. If Yante had Nic's length and athleticism, he would have been a lottery pick. No one is saying Nic is anywhere near a lotto pick this year,
dawgpostsucks
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dawgpostsucks
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Haney said:

It might be a weak draft but a LOT of players are coming out, well over 100-and that doesn't count SR's although I am guessing not many SR's actually get drafted but I have not done the research. That also doesn't account for all the EURO/overseas players that will be eligible.
Haney
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Thanks for the info AFD, so 233 declared plus any SR's that don't have to declare, and there are only 60 draft picks. Clax has a unique body/skill set but still don't see him being a first round pick, maybe 2nd. Like I said before, wish him the best and selfishly hope he is back to play on what should be a very improved team next year in a conference that is losing a lot of top players.
dawgpostsucks
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Judgedawg
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No one's opinion on this board means a thing to Nic. What matters to him and his family is what the NBA folks tell him. If h ed can be a first round pick for whatever reason, potential or height or or his hairdo, he won't make his Dad's mistake.
dawgpostsucks
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https://www.dawgnation.com/mens-basketball/georgias-nicolas-claxton-gets-nba-combine-invite-inches-closer-to-lifelong-dream

Georgia's Nicolas Claxton gets NBA combine invite, inches closer to lifelong dream
By Chip Towers
28 April 2019
Monkdawg
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If Nic grades out as a 1st rounder he will go, but if not, he'll be back in Athens. Glad he is still enrolled and taking classes. He's doing the right thing by getting evaluated. But IMHO he's not ready for the NBA yet.
dawgpostsucks
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gritsK9
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Agree with Monk on all of his points.
begger
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I don't think he's ready, but I can see the upside. I think he needs to get much more consistent with his shot and add strength/weight. If a team is willing to invest a late first round pick on his upside and work ethic, thinking a year in the D league gets him to an impact level, then it makes sense to go now. If they aren't, then keep improving in Athens and show out next year with a vastly different looking crew. I don't think he has a wrong decision here, if just cause I believe in his talent and the effort he'll put in to improve.
RedDawg
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The Judge is right, not a single thing posted on this board will weigh into Nic's decision. If he goes he goes, if he stays he stays. Sure, I want him to come back next year so I can watch us become a better team while sitting on my comfy couch in my den. But he's the one grinding and busting his tail. If the experts advise him to go and he goes, I hope he gets drafted as early as possible and wish him the best of luck. The truth is that for guys who don't get drafted early, it's often an uphill climb. So if he gets mixed reviews, or mostly 2nd round evals, then he's better off coming back. It's all about how much he can trust the evals.
Haney
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This is interesting to me-I was listening to the Hawks GM on the radio the other day, he was talking about the Hawks having predraft workouts before the NBA combine, and what he said about the players that they invite was interesting-he basically said the guys they will have in are guys that are NOT invited to the combine or guys that they might consider as potential 2nd round guys or free agents to help fill out their summer rosters and developmental rosters in the fall.

I am not saying seeing Nic on the list for this workout is a good sign he is coming back, but basically the Schlenk was saying that the 1st round guys don't come to the predraft workouts, they do come to individual workouts after the combine and before the draft obviously.
dawgpostsucks
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rossvilledog
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Charles Claxton's statements on the new recruiting class ans on Nic's odds of staying in the NBA draft:

https://www.dawgnation.com/mens-basketball/still-50-50-for-nic-claxton-on-nba-draft-but-georgias-recruiting-an-enticement-to-return
dawgpostsucks
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https://www.onlineathens.com/sports/20190513/nba-decision-for-georgias-nic-claxton-a-win-win-situation

NBA decision for Georgia's Nic Claxton 'a win-win situation'
By Marc Weiszer
13 May 2019
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