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Sophomore point guard emerging as silver lining for Nets amid disappointing 1-6 start
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- Sophomore point guard emerging as silver lining for Nets amid disappointing 1-6 start
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The Brooklyn Nets haven't had much to write home about during their 1-6 start. Sophomore point guard Nolan Traore has emerged as a silver lining for the rebuilding squad amid its early struggles.
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After an underwhelming rookie campaign, Traore has looked like an NBA point guard while stepping into a starting role. The 20-year-old has averaged 14.8 points on 27-of-53 (50.9 percent) shooting from the field and 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) from three, with 4.0 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game over his last five outings.
"I think number one is development, and you can see it with the amount of games [Nolan] played last year, but also development through the summer and how he worked on his body and then the confidence that he's playing with," said head coach Jordi Fernandez. "And you could see it [against the Indiana Pacers] that he was playing really hard to start and shots didn't fall for anybody, but then he stayed with it, and he made four huge threes that helped us win the game. At the same time, he was touching the paint, spraying the ball, doing all the right things. So his growth has been great, but again, it comes with development through playing games, which I think I've already said: the best coach in the world is playing real games, and it's better to play competitive games and then all the hard work that you put in the summer [pays off]."
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Traore's dramatic improvement as a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter has driven much of his scoring production. After shooting 31.8 percent from three as a rookie, the 6-foot-4 guard has shot 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) this season, with all of his makes coming off the catch.
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Traore drained four second-half threes against the Pacers on Sunday to lift the Nets to their first win. He shot 5-of-6 from three during Monday's 103-90 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Nolan Traore off to promising start to sophomore campaign as Nets' starting point guard
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
The former No. 19 pick said at Media Day that improving his shooting form was a primary offseason focus.
"I worked a lot on [my shot], and I feel good now. I changed a few things… I won't have a completely different shot from last year. It was more focused on just having the same form every time," Traore said.
Traore's three-point shooting could become a deadly complement to his blazing speed, especially if he becomes comfortable shooting off the dribble. The French floor general has also taken strides as an interior scorer, a main weakness of his game as a rookie.
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Traore touched the paint at a high rate last season. However, he converted just 44.6 percent of his shots at the rim, ranking dead-last among 230 players with at least 130 attempts, per Synergy. The 6-foot-4 guard has improved to 47.8 percent early this season, converting 11-of-23 rim attempts. He's also posted a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, up from 1.65 last season.
"For me, it was a lot of the physical aspect," Traore said at media day about his offseason training. "I spent a lot of time in the gym during the summer. That was the main focus. It's going to help me [on the court] for sure. It was just a good thing for me."
With rookie No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. on a minutes restriction, Traore has started the Nets' last four games. Whether Brown eventually enters the starting lineup or not, Fernandez has said Traore will play a critical role as one of the team's two featured point guards.
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The Nets coach said Traore has worked hard to develop his voice on the court and in the locker room.
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"I think that I can speak for that because when you're a foreigner, there is a language barrier," Fernandez said. "When I came here, my English was very broken, and you have to communicate to play this game, whether you're a coach or a player, especially in the point guard position. So [Nolan's] done a great job because of his willingness to try and do it with confidence, and it takes time. And I think right now, you see those 365 days or more, how much better he's gotten. It's because he's put time into it, and we're going to keep having an accent, but I think people understand what we're saying."
Egor Demin drove the limited optimism around the Nets' 2025 draft class last season. Three of the team's NBA-record five first-round picks from 2025 — Drake Powell, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf — are out of the rotation to start this season.
Traore developing into a reliable rotation piece would go a long way towards improving the perception of the Nets' biggest draft class in franchise history.
