Cam Thomas is unquestionably Brooklyn’s best scorer, and Mikal Bridges might well be their most complete all-around player. But talk to the Nets and they claim it is Nic Claxton who is the hub they revolve around.
They’ll have the rest of this fading regular season to prove it, and get that wheel right before risking losing the young center in the summer.
“He’s the hub,” Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “I keep calling him that. I don’t know if you guys believe it, but he is the hub. I like everybody to orbit around him and let him find them.”
Nobody is mistaking Claxton for a Nikola Jokic-level passing center, or Domantas Sabonis. And it’s clear Dennis Schröder is entrenched as the starting point guard and on-court leader. But the Nets’ struggling offense functions better when Claxton is an active part of it rather than a bystander.