The Brooklyn Nets’ new $100 million man has his eyes set on the Defensive Player of the Year award, but Nic Claxton failed to secure a spot in the ESPN Experts Preseason voting for the 2024-25 award. Not only was he not selected, Claxton did not receive a single vote.
Before last season, Claxton said Michael Scotto of HoopsHype the prize was on his list of goals.
““I’m trying to become a better basketball player. I read the game better, I’m a better teammate, I give advice and I’m more vocal.”
Victor Wembenyama stood out from the pack with 76 votes, and rightfully so. Some of the more surprising decisions ESPN made in considering Claxton’s rejection included Rudy Gobert’s second-place finish and former Nets player Mikal Bridges’ fifth-place finish.
Claxton and Gobert’s 2023-24 stats are extremely similar, and after his performances in last season’s playoffs and at the Paris Olympics, the gap between him and Claxton has narrowed. Similarly, Bridges had a fairly disappointing defensive performance in his only full season with Brooklyn.
This trend of undervaluing Nets players continues after Cam Thomas finished seventh in the Most Improved Player of the Year poll. The state of the franchise undoubtedly plays a role in this undervaluing trend, forcing Brooklyn’s young core to overachieve in hopes of finally receiving some form of league-wide recognition.
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