Brooklyn monitoring Nic’s minutes in playoff push

It’s no wonder Nic Claxton was running on dead legs.

Claxton, the gifted starting Nets center and imposing rim protector, played a total of 1,592 minutes in the 54 games he played before the All-Star break.

In his first three seasons in Brooklyn, he tallied just 1,755 minutes across 94 total games. The fourth-year big man who enjoyed a breakout start to the season as an early dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year simply ran out of gas — at an inopportune moment when both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving orchestrated their respective trades out of Brooklyn.

Claxton, however, did not spend his All-Star break on his feet, nor did he attend NBA AllStar Weekend or participate in the festivities out in Salt Lake City.

Instead, he had a “real good time,” “catching up with fam and chilling out” in the Virgin Islands.

“I had a great break,” he told reporters after Nets practice on Thursday. “Rejuvenated and relaxed and a good mental reset; much needed.”

The rested Claxton was limited to seven points and six rebounds in 22 minutes in Friday night’s 131-87 drubbing at Chicago.

Claxton is an integral piece to the Nets’ success, especially as they embark on the journey of establishing a new identity now unable to lean on Durant and Irving’s star power to win games. He is the team’s defensive anchor and a capable finisher at the rim.

He has been this team’s answer as the center and has cemented himself as a force at his position in the league.

Yet there was a significant falloff in Claxton’s production that coincided with the Durant and Irving deals.

Through the first 51 games of the regular season, Claxton averaged 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. In the three games that followed

Durant’s trade from Brooklyn, Claxton averaged just seven points and 6.7 rebounds to go with 2.3 blocks per game. He attempted about two fewer shots through those three games and is averaging four fewer minutes a night.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said the team may be forced to manage Claxton’s load to ensure he doesn’t get worn down for the team’s playoff push. But he also understands the reality of the situation.

Playing Claxton heavy minutes gives his team the best shot to win ball games.

“I just think we’ve gotta be smart about it,” Vaughn said on Thursday. “He’s so important to how we want to play.”

Vaughn suggested the Nets intend to walk a thin line. They plan to play him the number of minutes he averaged when posting double doubles on a nightly basis — Claxton has 21 double-doubles this season and averages 32.7 minutes per game in those instances — but also monitor his availability in backto-back games.

“Some games, we’ll be dedicated to just — maybe this is a game where he plays less minutes so that we can play the next three at his normal minutes,” Vaughn said. So we’ll continue to see how he feels, but the most important thing is continue to keep him fresh for the stretch.”

Claxton said he’s ready for the second half of the season. He said he hasn’t spoken to Vaughn about any potential minutes limit, but that he’s ready for whatever.

“The break definitely got me right, though. I feel much better,” he said. “I’m excited to just have some fresh legs and see everybody as a group and go out there and see what we can do.”

But how do you go from the Virgin Island’s sunny skies to 35-degree weather in Brooklyn?

“Just shut everything out,” he said. “It’s not easy to do, but just press that reset button for those four or five days you get off, and then now we’re back to it.”