Noah Clowney facing moment of truth

A couple of days ago, Hoopshype, perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps not, posted a ranking of MVP candidates for the preseason…

Hugo Gonzalez (the bete noir of those afflicted with Marks Derangement Syndrome) was listed at the top of the list despite only playing two games for the Celtics. But if scroll down a bit you’d find the names of three Nets, two of which were no surprise. After all, the Nets are 3-0. There was Julius Randle at No 7, Michael Porter Jr. at No. 14, and, ta-da, Noah Clowney at No. 15.

That’s got to be encouraging for the 22-year-old, 6’10” big. Full of potential, Clowney has yet to secure a long term commitment. Sean Marks & co. have until next Monday to decide on whether to offer him an extension or let him become a restricted free agent come July. In that case, the Nets would still hold his rights and be able to match any offer he gets elsewhere. Bottom line: it’s unlikely the Nets will make an offer.

And although preseason MVP rankings seem a fool’s errand, Clowney has played well, as Brian Lewis reports.

After an understated opener, Clowney has logged consecutive solid outings.

Starting in a victory over Jaylen Brown and the Sixers, Clowney had 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and 2-for-3 from deep to finish plus-12. And in Monday’s win in Washington, he followed up with 15 points on 5-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from behind the arc.

Clowney added four assists and a steal without a turnover.

Clowney who only turned 22 a few weeks back, has had his ups-and-downs with the Nets, once hitting seven 3-pointers in a game and once batting away seven shots in another (then following up with another 4 in the next game) over the course of his three years in Brooklyn. He has not been a bust. If fact, he wasn’t bad at all last season, averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 66 games, all but six starts. He also went to the line an average of 3.4 times a game. But fans and the front office wanted more.

Things changed dramatically for him the night before the Draft when the Nets traded his front court mate Nic Claxton and a second rounder to Chicago for Julius Randle and a first. Randle has assumed the 4 spot meaning it will take some doing to average 27 minutes a game.

Jordi Ferandez, asked for an assessment of his game, had this to say.

“Just steady,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “He’s been consistent so far. The whole training camp, the whole, all these preseason games. Very proud of him. You see him with 15 points.

“[We] challenge him. We’re challenging him to rebound. But yet four assists to zero turnovers, that’s pretty impressive. He’s just been very good — not too high, not too low. He’s always ready. And that’s the Noah Clowney that we need, because we know that he makes a lot of winning plays.”

That’s got to encouraging too. He also has some supporters outside the Nets, specifically Coach Thorpe of True Hoop. In fact, he put him in some rarefied company even more so than whoever put together the Hoopshype rankings.

Indeed, Thorpe included Clowney in a list of “Ten guys who might make a difference”, noting ”His defense will have to keep improving, but to me Clowney has the look of a starting level power forward who might even play some small ball five.“ Hmmm.

Wednesday night in Miami is going to be a big game for Nets fans. It’s Mikel Brown Jr.‘s preseason debut, the highest Nets pick in 16 years since they played in New Jersey. But it’s also going to the last preseason game Clowney will play for the deadline for the Nets to extend him. Should be enough motivation.

• Noah Clowney making case for Nets minutes despite losing job to Julius Randle – Brian Lewis – New York Post