Of all the different rotation permutations the Nets have been forced to use this season due to injuries and COVID-19 issues, coach Steve Nash hadn’t tried employing a big lineup featuring centers LaMarcus Aldridge and Nic Claxton as a starting tandem until Thursday night.

The first-place Nets lost that game to Joel Embiid and the 76ers to halt a four-game winning streak, but the experiment to play Aldridge and Claxton together could be something Nash revisits, depending on future matchups.

“That was really my first time being out there with LA [Aldridge]. We’ll definitely adjust to it once we get more reps in. Hopefully, we go to it a lot in the near future,” Claxton said Saturday, before the Nets’ game against the Clippers at Barclays Center. “The biggest adjustment is just having another big on the court.

“I played with BG [Blake Griffin] earlier in the year, too. It’s a little different, but I just have to play my game. LA stretches the floor, and he can adjust pretty easy. At the end of the day, we’re all basketball players, so we just go out there, and when you have a feel for the game, things are pretty easy.”

The 36-year-old Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star who returned this season following a brief retirement due to a heart issue, consistently has been the Nets’ most productive big man (13.9 points per game) when he has been available this season.

Still, the 6-foot-11 Claxton continues to earn a larger role, especially while producing at both ends of the floor over the team’s final five games of December. The 22-year-old logged at least 30 minutes in each of the Nets’ previous three games after never previously reaching that minutes mark during his first three NBA seasons. He’s averaging 14.0 points on 71.7 percent shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots over his past five appearances.

“You can see that I’m catching a pretty good stride right now, and I’m feeling good,” said Claxton, who missed nearly six weeks earlier this season due to a non-COVID illness before returning on Dec. 3. “It’s been different the minutes, because this is my first time I think playing over 30 minutes, but I love it.

“It’s a good challenge for me. Just having to mentally lock in when you get a little tired, and having to stay focused. It’s a challenge, but I’m definitely happy to take advantage of it.”

The two centers were on the floor together for nearly 22 minutes Thursday, and the Nets were plus-4 on the scoreboard in those stretches.

Nash acknowledged that the new alignment “looked like it slowed us down offensively” at times against the Sixers, but he added “it might have looked a lot different” had the Nets not committed 17 turnovers in the loss, including six by James Harden and four by Kevin Durant.

Still, Claxton believes playing alongside the Nets’ trio of perennial All-Stars (unvaccinated Kyrie Irving also will be back soon for road games) and the experience of being a young contributor on a win-now team has been invaluable to his progress.

“We just have to continue to grow and continue to build with everybody coming back. And I think we’re going to be great. I think the sky’s the limit,” Claxton said. “I think it’s good for young, talented guys to be able to come into a situation like this and be able to fight for minutes. You just have to be ready for the opportunity.

“The objective is to be in a position to win, it’s a win-now situation. … I think once we get everybody together, there will be a small adjustment period, but once we mesh, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”