The Nets have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They also have Caris LeVert (No. 35 on our list of top 50 players in 5 years) and Jarrett Allen (No. 44 on our list of top 50 players in 5 years).
And they have Nicolas Claxton.
Spencer Dinwiddie, via Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
The No. 31 pick in this year’s draft, Claxton is an interesting prospect. He’s center-sized (6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-2.5 wingspan), but at Georgia, he sometimes looked like a point guard. He can put the ball on the floor and initiate the offense. However, he must get stronger and become a better interior player.
Of course, this quote isn’t noteworthy because of Claxton. It’s interesting because Dinwiddie seemingly slighted Irving – a highly talented star and someone known for his moodiness. How will Irving take that? At least Dinwiddie and Irving have a preexisting relationship to fall back on if things get rocky.
Most likely, Irving accepts this as an attempt to instill confidence in a young player. If Dinwiddie didn’t get so specific with his talent rankings, nobody would think anything of him praising a teammate. But Irving attracts so much drama, it’s impossible to ignore the potential fallout.