The dog days of summer, and those of the NBA offseason, are officially upon us. While the World Cup gave general sports fans a longer lease on that golden spring-to-early-summer stretch where playoff basketball and hockey run wild, baseball returns, and dew points are manageable, we’re now well past that.
The Brooklyn Nets also concluded their Summer League run last week. From this point and until training camp in late September, most access to the team’s players will come via the various social platforms they’re active on.
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But First, a Farewell
Before we get into the current Nets, a former one had some goodbyes to say this week. Nic Claxton’s fiancé, Mariah Castro, posted a farewell message to the Nets and Brooklyn on Instagram not long after Clax’s trade news broke. However, the big man posted his own on X earlier this week.
“Through the ups an downs this city watched me grow into a man,” he wrote. “I will always cherish my time spent there. I created so many beautiful memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. I will forever be grateful I was able to call Brooklyn home. With all of that being said, it was time to move on. Thanks again for rocking with me. I will see y’all again.”
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We wish Nic and his family all the best going forward.
Workout Time
Workout videos are a common find on NBA social feeds this time of year. Development coach Tyreek Dupree recently tagged Day’Ron Sharpe in one. Footwork, ball-handling and post-move drills were largely on display.
Terance Mann and Noah Clowney recently got some work in as well with NBA and WNBA development coaches Cory Smith and Chris Johnson. They’ve trained with LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Johnson, and countless other pros before.
To no surprise, Egor Dëmin has also been in the lab with long-time trainer Zack Gonzalez. When he’s not with Dëmin or fellow BYU product AJ Dybantsa, Gonzalez works as a trainer/coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Summer Camps
The Nets still haven’t announced the Moe Wagner signing yet. They’re likely trying maintain flexibility as they look leverage their remaining $11 million in cap space. However, Wagner hasn’t been sitting around, waiting for the checks to hit. He, his brother Franz, and Adidas hosted a youth basketball academy in Berlin this week.
Other Adventures
Michael Porter Jr. spent a large part of his summer’s first half with his current teammates, but now looks to be off hanging with some old friends, and maybe, just maybe, recruiting. We wrote extensively about Porter Jr. and all the posts featuring him and Peyton Watson earlier this week. The two were seen enjoying a beach, some wine and at the World Cup across a variety of social accounts last week.
Dëmin seems to have followed MPJ into the vlogging sphere as well. He dropped two videos last year, one during the team’s preseason trip to Macao, and another during All-Star weekend. He’s kicked up posting cadence recently, however, dropping a “Summer Side Quests” episode last month and one from the Summer League yesterday.
On the topic of Dëmin and the SL, Terance Mann also gave him a shoutout on X earlier this month, to which Egor responded to by calling TMann his “big brother.”
Julius Randle also came home yesterday. He got his first look at his new threads and the home locker room in Brooklyn this week.
“Great opportunity ahead. Great organization. Made me really comfortable to start,“ Randle said earlier this month. “So, you know, got a lot of young talent. Got some good vets. Excited to see what we can put together.”
