MACAU, CHINA – The Brooklyn Nets are entering another transition year, but this time, there’s no drama, no headlines, and no superstars looming over the locker room. Just a group of players trying to build something sustainable from the ground up.

Gone are the days of the star-powered experiment that once featured Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden from three years ago. What remains are a few steady hands, players like Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas, who have seen both sides of the franchise’s rollercoaster journey. As Brooklyn prepares to play two games in the preseason slate in Macau against the Suns, the two longest-tenured Nets reflect on what it means to lead the team into this next era.

For Nic Claxton, who’s grown from a wiry second-round project into one of the NBA’s most mobile defensive big men, every year brings new lessons and responsibilities.

“I’m adjusting – I mean, you know, every year is different,” Claxton said. “You have a different set of goals, but at the end of the day, you wanna go out there and impact winning. That’s my job, and we got a lot of younger guys on the team now, so I have to use my experience to help them out and continue to grow my game as much as I can as well.”

It’s a mature outlook from a player who’s quietly become one of Brooklyn’s pillars. Last season, Claxton averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks – anchoring a defense that was often tasked with holding the line amid offensive inconsistencies. Now, under second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, Claxton is being asked to take another step – not just as a rim protector, but as a leader in both tone and preparation.

And by his own account, he’s ready for that challenge. “My conditioning has been A1,” Claxton said with confidence. “We’ve been practicing really hard, so I feel like I’m in the best spot that I’ve been in in my career right now with conditioning, for sure.”

That confidence is timely, as the Nets’ new identity will revolve around toughness, defense, and effort — areas where Claxton naturally thrives. With Fernandez emphasizing pace and player development, Claxton’s voice will be critical in setting the team’s standard.

While Claxton leads the frontcourt, Cam Thomas continues to evolve as Brooklyn’s go-to scorer. After averaging a career-high 24.0 points per game last season, Thomas proved he can fill it up against anyone. But as the 23-year-old enters his fifth NBA season, the challenge isn’t just scoring – it’s expanding his influence across a young locker room.

“Just keep improving,” Thomas said when asked about his expectations this year. “Playing hard and being competitive, that’s really the main thing. You win, you lose – whatever our coach wants – he always preaches to us it’s not about the wins and the losses but it’s about how we compete as a team and how we fight… just competing and fighting and the wins will come. So, I just wanna keep following the system and following what we do, and everything will work it out.”

That philosophy fits perfectly with Fernandez’s developmental focus. The Nets are chasing habits this year to hopefully build into the right step in the future.

Thomas’ scoring ability is well-documented, but this offseason, the guard also worked on becoming more of a facilitator – a necessity on a roster that added three rookie point guards. Still, Thomas expects to maintain his aggressive offensive role while taking on more leadership duties.

“I think my role will be the same, nothing has changed really,” he said. “We got more young guys now, I think I would have the same role that I had last year, and just keep improving. Obviously just helping them get up to speed and help them to understand NBA games as quickly as possible,” Thomas shared. “My job is to try to get them up to speed as much as I can, and offer up help in any way I can for them. Definitely gonna be that leader in that aspect and I can’t wait to get going.”

That sense of responsibility represents another important shift for Brooklyn. With several veterans already leaving the team in seasons past, Claxton and Thomas now bridge the gap between the team’s past and its future. Both have experienced the turbulence of constant roster turnover and now find themselves in positions to stabilize the franchise from within.

The Nets’ trip to Macau, part of the NBA China Games, gave the group a valuable early test of that chemistry. For a young team still finding its identity, dealing with long travel, jet lag, and quick turnarounds mirrors the grind of an 82-game season.

“Just our ability to adapt,” Thomas said about how they can use this experience for the upcoming NBA season. “We’re coming on a 17-hour flight, the time difference is crazy. We’re not here very long to get acclimated as much as we’d like, so we got two games in three days, so definitely different. But I would say the biggest ability is to adapt to any situation you can and be ready for back-to-backs in the NBA.”

Adaptability might just become Brooklyn’s defining trait. The Nets aren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot immediately, but they have the right mix of youth and hunger to make things interesting. Fernandez’s system – which emphasizes spacing, movement, and defensive effort – is built for players like Claxton and Thomas to thrive and lead.

Claxton’s voice on the floor and Thomas’ scoring punch give Brooklyn a foundation to build on, even as they continue to retool. And for both players, Macau served as more than just a preseason stop – it was a reminder of how far they’ve come/

As the Nets prepare for the 2025-26 season, the tone is different. No more quick fixes or blockbuster expectations. Instead, there’s patience, growth, and players like Claxton and Thomas ready to lead the climb.

“At the end of the day, you wanna go out there and impact winning,” Claxton said. “That’s my job.” 

For a team trying to rediscover its identity, that simple message might be exactly what Brooklyn needs.