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Nets’ Wolf, Traoré Taking Sophomore Leaps in Preseason
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- Nets’ Wolf, Traoré Taking Sophomore Leaps in Preseason
(John Jones/Imagn Images)
Danny Wolf and Nolan Traoré have joined Egor Dëmin as the standouts of the Brooklyn Nets ' Flatbush Five group in the preseason.
Wolf has tallied 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, nine rebounds and nine assists in 31 minutes over two games. Traoré has scored 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes.
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Brooklyn's sophomores coming out with a strong preseason is encouraging for the bench, especially at different positions. The team needs a backup point guard and forward.
Traoré is competing with fellow second-year guard Ben Saraf . He put on significant muscle in the offseason while recovering from a knee scope that sidelined him for the summer league.
The 20-year-old has become a much more efficient downhill driver. Traoré's explosive first step leaves defenders in the dust and gets two feet into the paint.
His added muscle helps him absorb contact to convert difficult layups despite strong contests. He struggled to finish at the rim, shooting 45% and the worst percentage among all guards who played at least 1,000 minutes as a rookie.
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Coach Jordi Fernández let Traoré play through his rookie mistakes late in the year as the team dealt with injuries. Those reps were likely crucial to his development and showed him what he needed to improve on heading into the summer.
Wolf looks to have improved as a playmaker. He's made multiple highlight passes, including a wraparound behind-the-back pass to Josh Minott for a wide-open three on Thursday.
The 22-year-old recorded five assists against the Charlotte Hornets and four against the Philadelphia 76ers . His improvement helps keep the Nets offense free-flowing, as he finds open teammates when the defenses collapse.
Wolf's improved playmaking could make him a vital connector in Brooklyn's offense. He'd have a much bigger role than he did last season, carving out time as an impact player.
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It's encouraging that three of the five Flatbush Five players have improved significantly over the offseason. Brooklyn is still one of the NBA's youngest teams, and several of their contributors are on rookie-scale deals.
Traoré and Wolf's growth could provide a glimpse of what the Nets' rotation could look like in the regular season and the lineups Fernández will run.
Brooklyn's youth has quietly grown from a weakness that led to a 20-62 record last season to a strength that may help them shoot for the play-in this season next to veterans Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.
