Nets' Noah Clowney learning NBA lessons the hard way

Noah Clowney got a reminder Wednesday that his second Nets season could be more bumpy even if it’s also more rewarding.

On one sequence against the 76ers, Clowney blocked a shot by center Andre Drummond. Drummond got the ball back, backed Clowney down again and knocked him to the floor before scoring.

Clowney added weight in the offseason, but at 230 pounds the second-year center was still overmatched by the 279-pound Drummond. Clowney finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in the preseason loss in Philadelphia starting in place of the injured Nic Claxton.

 His performance led to blunt criticism from coach Jordi Fernandez.

“I think he did not fight hard enough,” Fernandez said Wednesday night. “Obviously it is a great learning experience for everybody. You know, there's technicalities obviously, like how you front somebody, how you push [Drummond] out.

“It’s definitely a challenge. But I would have liked to see a better fight.”

It’s another lesson for the 20-year-old Clowney, who has been thrust into a bigger role because of injuries. Backup center Day’Ron Sharpe is sidelined through November with a strained hamstring.

Claxton hasn’t played in the preseason because of hamstring issues but is expected to be available by the season opener Wednesday. That makes Clowney, the team’s lone healthy center and why the Nets hope he gets up to speed despite growing pains with only 23 NBA games under his belt.

Clowney, to his credit, wasn’t bothered by Fernandez’s straight talk. He was just as self-critical and said Fernandez was just as critical privately as publicly.

“What concerns me more is my discipline to make the right calls, get my team in the right position, make sure when I’m on the back-line defense that my team knows what they’re doing and when we’re doing it,” Clowney said. “Just communicating better.”

Clowney’s versatility gives the Nets more options for lineup combinations, including Clowney at power forward alongside Claxton. Clowney can space the floor with his outside shooting while also protecting the rim.

However, he’s had mixed results in the preseason. Clowney had just three points and three rebounds against the Clippers last week. On Monday, he had 11 points, two rebounds and two steals vs. the Wizards.

Clowney’s shooting  (1-for-9 on threes) hasn’t come through either. There’s also understanding different defensive assignments depending on what position he plays.

“Sometimes I have lapses where I’m thinking I’m at the '4' or thinking I’m at the '5' when I’m not. It’s just getting better with that,” he said. “Knowing my coverages when I’m at the '4' or my coverage when I’m at the '5' and knowing what to do offensively in both spots.”

The Nets are banking on it. Early injuries mean greater expectations placed on Clowney for his second NBA season.

It’ll take time but Wednesday’s game was another test to learn from.

“I got to grow from it,” Clowney said. “At this level, you’re either going to get better and learn from it or you’re going to go the other way.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.