Nets' Noah Clowney continues promising sophomore season with career-best performance

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The Brooklyn Nets have shifted their focus toward draft positioning midway through the 2024-25 campaign. While lottery odds will be a top priority during the second half of the season, so will player development. And no young prospect on Brooklyn’s roster has shown more promise than second-year forward Noah Clowney.

Clowney was a bright spot for the injury-ravaged Nets as they dropped their third straight game, 113-98, to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The 20-year-old posted a career-high 29 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, 5-of-11 from three and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

“I think the good thing is, he’s showing us what he’s able to do. He’s showing us coaches, he’s showing his teammates,” said Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. “What it makes is when we have our group back, then I’m completely comfortable calling certain things for him because I’ve seen him do it… Now, when you have CT [Cam Thomas] back and CJ [Cam Johnson] and some of the guys, and we’re playing with D-Lo [D’Angelo Russell] and a ball-handler, I know I can call A, B and C for Noah because I’ve seen him score 29. He’s able to score 29 right now, tomorrow, and a month from now. So that’s a really good thing.”

Clowney’s three-point stroke and defensive versatility attracted the Nets during the draft process.

Noah Clowney turns in career-best performance for injury-ravaged Nets

The 6-foot-9 forward looks like a high-level floor-spacer midway through his sophomore campaign. He’s shown zero hesitation from beyond the arc, attempting 12.6 threes per 100 possessions, the 26th-most in the NBA. Clowney has shot 38.5 percent on that volume, ranking third among 42 players age 22 or younger attempting at least 3.0 threes per game this season.

"What I like to call it is I like to keep teams honest. I don't like where teams have the ability to sag off of me because I'm a weak shooter. I feel like that hurts my team in general,” Clowney said. “So if I'm able to shoot the ball, and I can keep somebody honest and keep the floor spaced for my guys to get in the lane, then that's always been the goal. So after Bama, I think I shot 29 percent at Alabama, something like that, but I knew I could shoot. I think other people knew I could shoot. Somebody took a chance, and here we are."

Noah Clowney on his three-point success:

"I shot 29 percent at Alabama, but I knew I could shoot. I think other people knew I could shoot. Somebody took a chance, and here we are."

Clowney is shooting 38.5% from three on 5.3 attempts per game this season. pic.twitter.com/R5QgAbiDPa

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 9, 2025

While his confidence has been a welcome sight, Clowney has heavily relied on the three-point shot while playing a spot-up role for the Nets. Of his 207 field goal attempts, 143 have been threes (69.1 percent). With an undeveloped handle and slight frame (210 lbs), he’s struggled when attacking the paint, shooting 45.3 percent on twos.

However, with Brooklyn missing its top four ball-handlers the last two games, the sophomore has been forced to experiment with that aspect of his game. Clowney converted 4-of-9 two-point attempts against Detroit. His ability to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts will be crucial for his long-term development as a power forward.

“I like his versatility. I like his competitiveness, and he’s not second-guessing it,” Fernandez said. “He’s being aggressive, and I’m proud of him. I still think he can even be better, and that’s what we’re going to aim for. Keep working, like when he goes off of one or two dribbles, whether he shoots it or just puts it on the floor. He’s been great, and it’s good to see him get his career high.”

Clowney said Brooklyn’s injuries have forced him to leave his comfort zone.

“It's helpful because a lot of production is out right now, so obviously, somebody has to do it. Quite literally, somebody has to do it,” he said. “I made mistakes. Even last game, I think I got out of my comfort zone a little more, but I made a lot of mistakes. Just trying to correct the mistakes the next game."

Coast-to-coast Clowney. Nice to see him putting the ball on the ground with some confidence. pic.twitter.com/IBP6F0dvpi

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 7, 2025

Clowney’s role will expand as the season progresses, with Brooklyn expected to continue a veteran fire sale leading up to the trade deadline. While no Net is penciled into the team’s long-term plans in year one of a rebuild, Clowney’s raw skillset and upside make him a safe bet to remain on the roster for the foreseeable future.

"I think anytime you have a good performance, it's good for your confidence because, obviously, you know what you can do, but when you do it at the highest level in the real games where it matters, it translated,” Clowney said of Wednesday’s performance. “It's a good feeling [to have Jordi’s trust]. The same way I instill [his] confidence [in me] by playing, he does the same thing for me by telling me to keep shooting the ball even when I have bad stretches… Every time I go into the game, that's the message. It's never just go in there and do what you're supposed to, it's always a positive message… So it's a good feeling."

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