Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Nolan Traore has not spent much time at the NBA level as the Nets feel that he needs to get more reps in the G League. While some fans have disagreed with Brooklyn assigning Traore to the G League, the move seems to have worked out for the 19-year-old as he looks to be getting back his confidence in all parts of his game.
In Long Island’s 128-113 win over the Greensboro Swarm on Saturday, Traore had his best game of the G League season as he ended the contest with 28 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. In what was more encouraging to see from Traore other than his counting numbers, he also shot 11-of-20 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point land, showing that his shooting ability is growing by the game.
Traore, 19, came into this season as the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, leading some fans to believe that he would be a key member of the Nets’ rotation for this year. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez didn’t seem to believe that Traore was ready to play the kind of minutes that fellow rookies Egor Demin and Drake Powell are playing at the moment so it seems like playing in the G League was the next option.
The Nets came into this campaign with the issue of figuring out who the starting point guard would be, but Traore never factored into that equation as Fernandez tried fellow rookie Ben Saraf and veteran Tyrese Martin before landing on Demin. As of this writing, Traore has started in four of the five games that he has played so it looks like Long Island understands the task of getting him ready for sizable minutes at the point guard spot.
Ultimately, it could be some time before Traore is inserted into Fernandez’s rotation, if it happens at all given how well Demin is playing along with how well Martin has settled into his role as the backup point guard. As long as Traore continues to play the way that he has been playing recently, Brooklyn could find a way to give him some playing time during the second half of the season.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets rookie Nolan Traore has breakout game for Long Island in G League
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
