Nolan Traoré has always been fast enough that defenders couldn’t ignore him. Now he’s asking them not to ignore the moments he actually slows down. One pull-up 3-pointer during Monday’s win against the Washington Wizards captured the dilemma perfectly.
Traoré’s explosive first step gives defenders a reason to back off. As the 20-year-old’s jumper develops, he can make them pay for that space. Duck under a screen and risk a 3. Fight over it and try to stay in front of him. Pick your poison.
The second-year guard attacked Washington at the rim and from the perimeter, scoring 13 points in his first 10 minutes off the bench. He finished with 17 on 6-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, as Brooklyn improved to 3-0 in the preseason with a 131-122 victory.
Alongside Drake Powell, Noah Clowney, Chaney Johnson and Moe Wagner, Traoré took the first crack at running Brooklyn’s reserves and played with conviction. His drives, transition finishes and willingness to pull up gave the second unit another source of offense.
“Yeah, offensively he was elite. I mean, he touches the paint almost whenever he wants and he’s been very efficient,” head coach Jordi Fernández said postgame.
Traoré’s scoring has climbed with each appearance. He had 10 points against the Charlotte Hornets, 12 against Philadelphia 76ers and 17 Monday. Through three games, he’s averaging 13 points while shooting 65% overall and 57.1% from 3-point range. The percentages come from a small sample, but the confidence behind the attempts is clear.
For the second straight season, Traoré is the youngest player on the NBA’s youngest team. However, youth guarantees him little in Brooklyn’s rotation. General manager Sean Marks made that clear at Media Day, saying playing time would have to be earned, regardless of age. The Nets drafted Mikel Brown Jr. into a backcourt already featuring Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf, leaving several young guards competing for minutes and chances to run the offense.
Traoré’s case begins with the burst he brought to the league. He can get into the lane and send defenders scrambling. The work is in making more of those openings, adding the strength to hold his path through contact and the shooting touch to keep opponents from waiting for him near the rim.
Both improvements have taken sustained work. He spent much of the offseason in the gym, getting stronger and refining a jumper that had begun to improve late in his rookie season. At Media Day, he described simple adjustments to his existing shot, with an emphasis on making the release repeatable.
“It was more focused on just having the same form every time, basic stuff,” Traoré said.
After Thursday’s win over Philadelphia, Fernández singled out shooting coach Dave Love and assistant Corey Vinson for their time with Traoré. He wanted the young guard to keep shooting, keep playing fast and continue getting stronger. Four days later, Traoré’s growing comfort from the perimeter was evident.
“I like his aggressiveness shooting the 3 and shot looks very confident,” Fernández said Monday.
Traoré spent part of his rookie season starting for Long Island, where extended minutes helped him grow comfortable as a primary ball handler. He later showed he could run an NBA offense and reach the paint without letting his pace get away from him. This summer’s emphasis was on expanding the ways he could finish.
“I think going to Long Island helped me a lot. Confidence-wise, as you said, you get to play against great players, play a lot of minutes and it really helped me finish the season in a really good way,” Traoré said at Media Day.
Brown recognized those strengths, too, praising Traoré’s playmaking, pace and ability to touch the paint when discussing Brooklyn’s point guards. With Brown still awaiting his preseason debut, Traoré has been the first guard off the bench ahead of Saraf, while Dëmin handles the starting point guard duties.
The opening-night depth chart remains unsettled, and Brown’s return will make the competition more complicated. Traoré has made an encouraging start. His best argument is to keep producing whenever Fernández gives him the ball.
Still, keeping those minutes will also require better consistency on defense. Fernández praised his offense Monday and pointed to lapses on the other end, an especially relevant concern after Washington scored 72 first-half points. Brooklyn tightened up after halftime. Traoré still has to make his presence at the other end as dependable as his work with the ball.
The improved jumper and strength are giving defenders another reason to worry about Traoré. His task now is to give Fernández more reasons to leave him on the floor.
“There’s just a couple of hiccups that I think he could have been better, but I know he is tough and he’s up for the challenge,” he said.