Small part of Nic Claxton’s game has been bugging his Nets coach
Jordi Fernandez isn’t worried about Nic Claxton’s low shot totals.
Asked after Friday’s loss to the Magic about Claxton, who hasn’t attempted more than nine field goals in any of his 14 appearances this season, the first-year Nets coach said he wants to see improvement in another area of the $97-million center’s game.
“Nic had six shots, he was 4-for-6, and obviously, there’s different ways because he’s touching the ball and he rebounded well,” Fernandez said. “But his screening’s got to be better. We play through him, but also he’s gotta set screens and rolls.
“And the angles of those screens, this is a team that goes under on everything, and what you have to do is set flatter screens and you gotta find better angles and roll. … He can take a little bit more shots, but he’s gotta screen better.”
The 6-foot-11 Claxton scored eight points with seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 26 minutes off the bench against Orlando, whom the Nets will face again Sunday at Barclays Center, after sitting out the previous two games due to back soreness.
Nets forward Cam Johnson said teammates were not surprised by little-used guard Tyrese Martin’s 30-point breakout — including an 8-for-10 night from 3-point range — Wednesday night in Phoenix.
That performance earned Martin his first NBA start (eight points in 25 minutes) Friday against the Magic.
“Just because he wasn’t playing doesn’t mean that we didn’t have full confidence in him,” Johnson said. “He’s been playing in all preseason pickup [games], and in all preseason as we’ve been scrimmaging.
“Everybody in our building knows what he’s capable of, knows the type of shooter he is, knows the type of competitor he is and everything else he’s added to his game. So for him to step up in that moment and to be able to produce that, it still takes a lot of guts, so that’s where his credit is. But as a player, it’s what we expect from him.”
Dennis Schroder will be available Sunday after missing Friday’s game for personal reasons. … Cam Thomas (hamstring), Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Noah Clowney (ankle) remain out.
