Ranking the NBA’s 10 most underrated players in 2022-23

5. C Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets

It may be difficult to fathom, but there are players on the Brooklyn Nets outside of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons. As drama roiled the franchise for the first month of the year (so far), Nic Claxton has quietly gone about his business to become one of the best young big men in the game.

The 24-year-old has been developing his game since the Nets drafted him in the second round in 2019. Despite some high-profile issues on the court – such as a significant free throw problem – the Nets extended Claxton for two years over the summer.

Claxton became a full-time starter for the first time this season and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity to break out. The big man is averaging 11.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, both career highs. He’s also hitting 72.5 percent of his field goal attempts, which leads the NBA.

In addition to becoming one of the NBA’s most consistent shooters, Claxton is also becoming one of its most fearsome defenders. He’s swatting away 2.1 shots per game. He ranks in the top 20 in both defensive rating and defensive win shares.

There are still issues Claxton needs to work on, particularly his moribund free-throw shooting. He has somehow stooped to a new low this season, hitting a ghastly 45.6 percent of his shots from the charity stripe.

In a year where the Nets’ veteran core has seemingly blown up for all the wrong reasons, however, the franchise needs to start identifying pieces of the future. Claxton’s play has pushed him into that conversation.