Jalen Wilson was the MVP of the Summer League, delivering heroic moments in all three Nets wins, but Noah Clowney’s performance might be even more significant.
The Brooklyn Nets’ summer league team spotlighted Jalen Wilson and Dariq Whitehead for different reasons. Keon Johnson earned a two-year (partially guaranteed) deal, but as Brian Lewis reports, Noah Clowney’s performance may have more long-term implications than the other three.
Clowney’s impressive end-of-season heroics in March and April were no fluke. He shot 39.3% from deep and demonstrated his defensive prowess. Averaging 1.6 blocks, Clowney showed he could be a defensive force without always recording a block, as noted by ESPN’s Tim Legler and others.
Lewis wrote:
Clowney, who turned 20 while in Las Vegas, is one of the NBA’s youngest players but has the potential to show significant improvement this upcoming season, thanks to his offseason work and the opportunities provided by Brooklyn’s rebuild.
“It’s an opportunity [for me], so I can’t [waste it],” Clowney said. “To see us going into more of a rebuilding standpoint … I’ve got to try to take advantage of that.”
Clowney and Whitehead, among the five youngest NBA players last season, will likely remain among the top 15 to 20 youngest this season. They were younger than most players in the 2024 NBA Draft. Clowney, a 6’10” forward with a 7’3” wingspan, is proving his worth.
In his final six games in April, Clowney averaged 13.5 points, shooting 8-of-17 from deep, with seven rebounds and 2.2 blocks. His five summer league games, although against lesser competition, mirrored these stats: 13.8 points, 5-of-13 from deep, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 steals.
Both NBA insiders and those within the Nets organization see Clowney’s potential for consistency.
“I liked the way Noah played [in summer league],” said Steve Hetzel, who coached the Nets in Vegas. “He’s still young — he turned 20 on July 14 — but he’s done a great job in the weight room and will continue to get stronger over time.
“Noah has an incredible knack for protecting the rim with great timing and length, blocking many shots. But he’s improved at the rule of verticality, jumping straight up and down without fouling, which we’ve been working on.”
NBA analyst Tim Legler named Noah Clowney one of his seven most impressive Summer League players.
“His defensive presence and ground coverage were super impressive… I was very impressed that a guy that is that long has that much awareness to be there early,” said Legler.
“I was watching him before the game shoot the basketball. He definitely has a stroke that is going to translate out to perimeter shot-making regardless of his percentages in Vegas or whatever they were last year. I think he’s going to eventually be a guy that can stretch it out to the three-point line because his mechanics say that that’s possible for him… I think it’ll happen for him.”
Clowney believes the Nets’ rebuilding phase provides a significant opportunity for him.
“It’s an opportunity [for me], so I can’t [waste it],” Clowney said. “To see us going into more of a rebuilding standpoint … I’ve got to try to take advantage of that.”
If the Nets trade Dorian Finney-Smith, Clowney could potentially take over the power forward spot by late October. However, he will need to
