Egor Dëmin has earned the most trust of the Nets’ five first-round picks. Danny Wolf has displayed his versatility, flirting with double-doubles. Drake Powell’s elite athleticism has allowed his defensive skills to translate. Ben Saraf has received the second-most starts of Brooklyn’s rookies and leads the team in assists per 36 minutes (6.0).
Nolan Traore’s got next.
After spending the majority of his rookie campaign on Long Island and appearing in a team-low six games with the Nets — including 24 minutes of action in the previous seven-plus weeks — Traore, the 19th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made the most of a rare opportunity to demonstrate his potential in Sunday’s 96-81 win over the Raptors.
Playing a career-high 22 minutes, the 19-year-old Frenchman scored eight points — after scoring a total of seven points in his first six appearances — with three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
“He looked confident, he looked in rhythm,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernández said. “He shot it when he had to, he was solid with the ball, he played pick-and-roll, he looked fast, he kept, defensively, the ball in front.
Brooklyn Nets’ Nolan Traore (88) drives to the basket past Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes (4) during the second half of a game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
“He did a great job overall. [It] looked like all the minutes he’s played [on] Long Island right now are paying off. And now he came here with a lot of confidence, and this is what it’s all about. Minutes are the best coach to develop you. And he took advantage of those minutes [on] Long Island, and now he’s taking advantage of his minutes here, and he was a big part of us winning this game.”
With Cam Thomas still out and Powell bothered by another ankle injury, Traore could get another chance to showcase his speed and play-making in tonight’s game in Philadelphia.
In 13 games with the Nets’ G-League team, Traore, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 18.8 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 43.1 percent on 3s.
“It really helps a lot that when you don’t play, you can play some good minutes [on] Long Island,” Traore said. “It’s kind of the same rules as here so it’s easy to translate those to Brooklyn … I think the more you play, the more you get confidence and [Sunday’s game] is a great example.
“I was waiting for this game and I just took the opportunity they gave me. I think I did good and I hope it will continue.”
Nolan Traore (88) celebrates his 3-point shot during the first half of a game against the Toronto Raptors at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
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As their rookies take baby steps, the Nets are already being haunted by one of the best draft classes in years — featuring Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears and Tre Johnson — after last season’s failed tank job resulted in Brooklyn’s first pick coming at No. 8 (Dëmin).
Now, Fernández has the team on pace to again destroy the front office’s grand plans of failure. After losing their first seven games and opening 3-16, the Nets have gone 5-3 in December while allowing the fewest points in the league this month.
There are five teams with a worse record than the Nets (8-19), approaching a draft with three strong contenders for the top pick (Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa).
The NBA’s sixth-worst team has a 27.6 percent chance of getting a top three pick — the worst team has a 40.1 percent chance — and can fall as far as 10th in the lottery.
“The focus is to give 100 percent of your effort every single game,” Dëmin said. “That’s the biggest focus for all of us right now.”