PHILADELPHIA — Noah Clowney‘s NBA education continued on Wednesday against a stocky, physical Philadelphia 76ers frontcourt pair of Andre Drummond and Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele.
Clowney played on the lankier side throughout his rookie season but spent the offseason packing on muscle. The 6-9 forward, who started at center in the Nets’ 117-95 preseason loss, put on about 10 pounds over the summer and now weighs around 230 pounds.
Joel Embiid (250-pounds) did not suit up for the 76ers on Wednesday, but defensive matchups against Drummond (280 pounds) and Yabusele (260 pounds) were still challenging tests for the 20-year-old, who was playing out of position against stronger, more experienced players.
There were some ugly moments. Drummond bullied him under the basket in the game’s opening minutes, scored and celebrated with the “too small” gesture. Clowney was in perfect position during the play, but Drummond had grown man strength on his side. Then, about 19 seconds into the third quarter, head coach Jordi Fernandez called a quick timeout to chew Clowney out after he left Yabusele wide open in the corner, resulting in an uncontested 3-pointer in what was still a tight game at that point.
Even with those struggles, Clowney’s upside as a floor spacer and interior defender was still on full display. He finished with 11 points (5-of-8 shooting), eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one made 3-pointer in 22 minutes. He entered the night 0-of-5 from deep over his first two preseason appearances.
Clowney’s last NBA start was also at Wells Fargo Center on April 14. In his final performance of the 2024-25 season, he scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and a block. His 22 minutes played on Wednesday was the lowest among Brooklyn’s starters.