Since Jimmy Butler fell into Kevin Durant’s knee on Jan. 8 and left him with a sprained MCL for the second straight season, the Nets have said they are confident they can handle his absence better than they did last year.

The early results have not exactly backed up that faith, but one of the key reasons why the Nets may be in a better spot to survive a Durant-less stretch overall? The team’s double-double leader.

Nic Claxton has elevated his game at the rim on both ends of the floor, making a run at history on the offensive end and becoming an elite rim protector on the defensive end, all at the age of 23.

“I think overall just his aggressiveness [has been his biggest improvement],” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said recently. “I think you see it on both ends of the floor, whether it’s putback dunks, whether that’s playing above the rim, whether that’s an element now of catching the half-roll and being able to be a passer or a finisher. So the offensive end, that’s probably the most growth we’ve seen from him, and then defensively just being at every spot for us on the defensive end of the floor. I think he’s really taken pride in being a defensive player and the impact that it has on our team, on the game, a lot of times on the outcome, really. I think he’s taken some ownership of that, which has been huge.”