Nets not rushing Nic Claxton back to starter’s workload

Nic Claxton has been relegated to coming off the bench as he builds up his conditioning.

And while coach Jordi Fernandez won’t say when he’ll start the center again, it clearly won’t be until Claxton’s minutes restriction is eased.

A hamstring injury sidelined Claxton for the entire preseason, and the Nets performance team has put him on a strict minutes limit through their first two regular-season games.

Claxton logged just 15:25 off the bench in the opener before seeing that boosted to a solid 20:26 outing Friday in Orlando.

Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) tries to get position on Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the second half at State Farm Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Granted, Claxton theoretically might’ve played more in the opener if he hadn’t gotten ejected in the fourth quarter for an ill-advised clothesline against the Hawks. But it does seem as if he could see his playing time increase in Sunday’s home opener against the Bucks.

“We have to evaluate how his body feels. Then once that happens, then we can assess the next step,” Fernandez said. “My thought is, whenever we can, he’s gonna rest. Then his body’s gonna tell us how he’s doing. We can increase the minutes, obviously. … We want him to play starting minutes, but we have to be smart with it. Health is No. 1 for everybody, not just for Nic in minutes.”

There is a threshold where a coach could start a player and use him in shorter spurts and be creative in his rotations.

But Fernandez sounds disinclined to put Claxton back into the lineup until he’s cleared to log starter’s minutes — at least 24 minutes and possibly topping 30. It’s unclear when that might be.

Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) goes to the basket against Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the second half at Kia Center. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

“Obviously, you can be creative. But if you go to starter minutes, then it’s somewhere around low 30s, because I think if you do more, health is an issue,” Fernandez said. “But for me, starters usually play starting at 24 all the way to 33-34, that range.”

Ben Simmons has been starting at center through the preseason and the first two losses of the regular season. Backup center Day’Ron Sharpe is out for at least another month.

The Nets have dropped their past three home openers, tying the longest such skid in team history (done twice, from 1991-93 and 1987-89).

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Brooklyn is in the midst of a five-game losing skid against the Bucks, dating back to their last victory on Dec. 23, 2022.

Cam Johnson has started the season with a cold touch, averaging 13.0 points but shooting just 36.4 percent and 18.8 from behind the arc.

He was just 4-for-12 overall on Friday in Orlando and 2-for-10 from deep.

“[Orlando] went on a run, and it kind of got away from us,” Johnson said. “We’ve just got to be better at when things aren’t going our way, responding the right way.”

Cam Thomas is averaging 30.0 points on .477/.556/.889 shooting splits. Most of that production (16.0 points) has actually come just in the fourth quarter.