For the second straight year, Nolan Traore will be the youngest player on the youngest team in the NBA, a 20-year-old on a team whose average age is, again, a little more than 24. At 20 years and five months old, he is six weeks younger than Mikel Brown, the Nets No. 6 pick in the 2026 Draft. (Brown is also three weeks older than Ben Saraf.)
But in the NBA, youth only gets you so far and now in his second year, Traore is starting to show he belongs. It’s early and there’s only a small sample to work
from, but as C.J. Holmes points out in the Daily News Tuesday, the 6’4” point guard with a shooter’s touch has growing confidence.
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.
A far cry from this time last year when there were doubts about about the No. 19 pick even inside the executive offices at 168 39th Street in Sunset Park. Like the top four picks in Nets historic draft, at least by numbers, he was considered somewhat of a reach. ESPN’s final mock draft had him going at No. 22. Never mind that he had once been seen as at top 5 prospect in the generational draft or the general assessment that he was the quickest guard in the Draft.
While fans wanted a finished product, others inside the front office understood that it was going to take time. He was new not just to the NBA, but the USA. He needed time to develop physically as well as mentally. And at the end of last season, after a 13-game stint with Long Island, he was putting up numbers, even if inconsistently. In the last six weeks in Brooklyn, he put up 13 points a game along with four assists and it seems he was more under control. But he had a lot to work on. As Brian Lewis reported, of every player who attempted at least 100 layups, his 44.4% was dead last.
Then over the summer, after arthroscopic surgery on his knee, he grew, like physically grew. He picked up an inch in height and about 12 pounds of what sure looks like muscle. He spoke about his transformation at Media Day.
“Definitely the more I play, the more confident I’ve gotten,” Traore told The Post. “I get a little better every game. I just feel great, and I hope it’s going to keep going.”
“My knee is completely fine now, so there’s no concern,” Traore, 20, said. “For me, [the offseason] was more the physical aspect. Obviously the shooting, too. I worked a lot on it and I feel good now. Changed a few things, too.
“Offseason was a lot of [time in the] gym. That was the main thing. Focusing on just getting better as a player, watching clips from the playoffs or watching reads. Working on my shot, too.”
His teammates and his coach noticed.
“I like his aggressiveness shooting the 3, and his shot looks very confident. Credit to the work he’s put in the whole summer. And just want to challenge him to improve defensively. There’s just a couple of hiccups that he could’ve been better; but I know he is tough and he’s up for the challenge.” head coach Jordi Fernández said postgame.
Things will change, of course, Thursday night in Miami, the team’s final preseason game. Mikel Brown Jr. will finally make his NBA debut and there will be more competition for minutes among him, Brown Jr., Demin and Keon Ellis who Fernandez has started, liking his point-of-attack defense and 3-point shooting. Traore knows he will have fight for minutes and a role.
As Holmes wrote.
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.
“It was more focused on just having the same form every time, basic stuff,” Traoré said.
- Nets’ Nolan Traoré is making himself difficult to overlook ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
- Nolan Traore isn’t giving up his Nets minutes without a fight – Brian Lewis – New York Post
