Nets' Noah Clowney wants to use Summer League to build on last season's strong finish
Nets forward Noah Clowney looks on against the Indiana Pacers in the second half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on April 3. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LAS VEGAS — Noah Clowney’s first moments as a professional were ones to forget. As an 18-year-old, he looked overwhelmed at the NBA 2K25 Summer League and often got in foul trouble.
Of course, that’s normal for most rookies. But a year later, Clowney is forgetting the past and looking ahead to show he’s a different player.
“Yeah, I don’t care about that Summer League no more,” Clowney said this week. “I think last time, I had the wrong mindset of trying to please everybody. Now I just don’t care no more. So just going in and trying to have fun.”
Clowney did that Friday during the Nets’ 97-95 overtime win over the Pacers in their Summer League opener. The second-year center had 14 points, four blocks and nine fouls, one shy of the limit for Summer League games.
The fouls were surprising given that Clowney has shown he can defend without fouling. But he had a better go than fellow 2023 first-round pick Dariq Whitehead.
Whitehead, playing his first game since shin surgery in January, missed his first eight shots and finished 1-for-12 with five points. He added five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 25 points.
Clowney’s performance came on the heels of playing more in the Nets’ final 13 games, with stronger showings in the final six. He blocked a dunk by Pacers guard Ben Sheppard in the first quarter and emphatically blocked another layup by Sheppard in overtime.
“He has great length, great instincts. He protects the rim extremely well,” Nets Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said. “Some tic-tac fouls called against [him] that he probably wished he had back, but I was very happy with Noah’s rim protection.”
For Clowney, it’s applying what he learned last season: Don’t just play with energy but use that energy to enhance your strengths.
“Just playing harder than everybody is not enough anymore,” he said. “You got to do that and you got to bring more to the table. So being able to work on skill aspects of the game and maintain the other parts of the game. Being able to utilize intangibles like my wingspan and things like that.”
The overtime block on Sheppard was a good example. With the Pacers leading 93-91, Sheppard got by his defender, but Clowney not only blocked the shot but did it so forcefully that it sent Sheppard to the ground.
It was the type of aggressive play the Nets want as Clowney contends for more minutes backing up Nic Claxton next season.
If last summer was forgettable, Clowney — armed with more confidence in what he can do, especially on defense — hopes this one will be more memorable.
“I’m going in with a good mindset, win, have fun, obviously showcase that I can do different things,” he said. “But I don’t really have individual goals for Summer League. I just want to win games.”
In-Season Tournament. The crosstown rivalry between the Nets and Knicks will have more significance in next season’s In-Season Tournament, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup.
Both teams are in East Group A along with the 76ers, Hornets and Magic, the NBA announced Friday. The Nets will host the Hornets and Magic and face the Knicks and 76ers on the road.
It also means Mikal Bridges will face his former team in the early portion of next season after the Nets traded him to the Knicks.
The tournament will begin Nov. 12 and the game dates will be announced in August.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
