Noah Clowney made Brooklyn Nets history during Monday’s 107-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The second-year forward drained five threes, becoming the youngest player in franchise history (20 years, 120 days) to reach the mark in a single game.
Following the performance, Clowney revealed the offensive mindset that fueled his record-breaking night.
“It don’t take but one for me, really,” he said of his hot shooting. “If I make one, it’s going up. I mean, even if I don’t make one, it’s still going up. So it don’t really matter… My teammates found me when I was open, so I gotta let it fly.”
All five of Noah Clowney's threes in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/gN3jlVRZl1
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 12, 2024
While Clowney played center for extended stretches in college at Alabama and in the G-League as a rookie, he projects as a power forward with the Nets. At 6-foot-9, his capability as a floor-spacer will be integral to his ability to play alongside traditional centers.
Noah Clowney developing as three-point threat during sophomore campaign
The 2023 first-round pick hasn’t been shy as a shooter this season. While he’s converting only 33.3 percent of his threes, he’s attempting 8.8 per 36 minutes, nearly triple the amount of his rookie year. That number ranks 16th among NBA forwards and fifth among centers.
Clowney credited Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez for his confidence as a three-point threat.
“I think Jordi has a great medium of, as far as shots go, always pushing confidence,” he said. “But then in general, I think he has a great medium of having fun and being very straightforward but also being good at giving his players confidence. I think finding that medium is important. He tells us to shoot it, so we shoot it.”
Clowney’s floor-spacing potential, along with his defensive versatility, attracted the Nets during the draft process. The former No. 21 pick has averaged 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.3 minutes per game this season.
While the forward’s three-point percentage has room for improvement, Fernandez said Monday’s performance was an example of process over results.
“No, because I see him shoot every day, and I know he’s a good shooter,” the coach replied when asked if he was surprised by Clowney’s three-point performance. “When I get mad at the guys is when they stop shooting. And Noah, the one thing he’s done consistently is just continue to let it fly. That’s how it works. You cannot control if it’s gonna go in; you can control if you take the shot. And he kept taking good shot after good shot after good shot. And 5/10, that’s what we want to see.”
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