The Brooklyn Nets will begin the second half of the season without their starting center. Nick Claxton sprained his right ankle during practice on Wednesday. Brooklyn ruled him out for Thursday’s road matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Claxton has put together one of the best statistical seasons of his career after an injury-filled 2024-25 campaign. The longtime Nets forward averaged 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 blocks on 59.0 percent shooting in 50 appearances.
Brooklyn assigned a grade to Claxton’s ankle sprain, but his absence Thursday is notable for a team involved in the NBA’s tank race. With the Nets battling for draft position, they should not rush Claxton back from his injury.
Nick Claxton ruled out of the nets after injuring ankle during practice
Brooklyn begins the second half of the season ranked fifth in the draft lottery standings, one game behind the second-place Washington Wizards and 1.5 ahead of the sixth-place Utah Jazz. Many of the teams competing with the Nets at the bottom of the standings have recently dropped top players.
The Sacramento Kings ruled out Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine for the season, and the Utah Jazz signed Jaren Jackson Jr. out for the season. Meanwhile, Trae Young and Anthony Davis are sidelined indefinitely for the Washington Wizards. The same goes for Ivica Zubac with the Indiana Pacers.
The Nets face a tough upcoming schedule, with 12 of their next 17 games coming against teams with winning records. They have the sixth-hardest remaining strength in the NBA overall.
De’Ron Sharp will step in as Brooklyn’s starting center with Claxton sidelined. Sharp has continued to look like one of the NBA’s top backup centers this season, averaging 8.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 61.1 percent shooting in 18.5 minutes per game.
Danny Wolf and Noah Clowney should see time under center with the Nets’ second unit during Claxton’s absence.
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