Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney is heading into his fourth NBA season with a case that he may be ready for another jump.
Clowney arrived in the league at 19 with clear upside in the frontcourt, and Brooklyn got a better look at that potential last season. He was more productive than he had been across his first two campaigns, and the progress was enough to put him on the radar of TrueHoop’s Coach Thorpe.
“So, last season he entered this tier of players from whom I had no idea what to expect. And out of those players … he impressed me more than anyone when I got to see him play in games,” Thorpe wrote on Clowney.
Thorpe has been tracking players who stand out to him because of certain traits, and Clowney has been one of the names that has caught his eye over the past year or so.
“Only three players 21 or younger averaged at least 12 points and took at least 3.4 or more free throws per game: Clowney, Cooper Flagg, and Stephon Castle And he did that in only 27 minutes per game,” Thorpe continued on Clowney. “He is not a good shooter. But at 33 percent from 3, where he’s been for his two seasons, he’s not bad and there’s every reason to think he is due for a big improvement.”
Clowney, 22, finished the 2025-26 season with averages of 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 39.6% from the field and 32.9% from three-point range in 66 games, including 60 starts. After taking a noticeable step last offseason, head coach Jordi Fernandez trusted him enough to start him at power forward, and Clowney posted career highs in most of his per-game numbers.
This season may look different. Brooklyn traded for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, so Clowney will likely open the year as a reserve unless Fernandez decides to test him at center. Still, even if he isn’t in the starting five when training camp begins later this month, Clowney has shown enough to keep the buzz building around what he might become in year four.
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