Jordi Fernandez didn’t wait long to shake up Brooklyn’s backcourt. Three games into the season, the Nets coach made a notable switch in Tuesday’s 125-124 loss to the Boston Celtics, inserting sophomore point guard Nolan Traore into the starting five and bumping veteran Keon Ellis out. On Friday, Fernandez laid out exactly why the change was made.
“Our shot selection was not great, and we had a lot of turnovers. I felt like having [Nolan] out there would help settle the group,” Fernandez said.
“I see Egor [Demin] as more of an off-ball gravity guy who can also handle. I think his superpower is to shoot the ball, to come off screens, to make decisions… The true point guards, to me, are Nolan and Mikel [Brown Jr.].
And right now, if they play with the first and second unit, I think that gives us [better] shot quality and fewer turnovers. So that was the intention of that change, and I think it went well.”
Asked Jordi Fernandez why he moved Nolan Traore into the starting lineup:
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 30, 2026
“Our shot selection was not great, and we had a lot of turnovers. I felt like Nolan would help settle the group. I see Egor as more of an off-ball gravity guy who can also handle. I think his superpower is… pic.twitter.com/m4wdSkzzOF
That decision followed Brooklyn’s first three games with Demin handling point guard duties alongside Ellis. Demin, who had played point at BYU and in stretches last season, had trouble steering the offense.
Nolan Traore is playing with confidence during his first start of the season.
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 28, 2026
He's got nine first-quarter points on 4/4 shooting and has already scored on Tatum, PG, and Pritchard. Touching the paint whenever he wants. pic.twitter.com/QhaK1UGTX6
The numbers reflected it. Through three games, the Nets sat 24th in offensive rating at 106.4 and had coughed the ball up 18.7 times per game, the fourth-most turnovers in the league. Demin’s own line was rough: 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers while shooting 8-of-26 from the field and 6-of-19 from three.
Mikel Brown Jr. in the 4Q and OT vs. BOS
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 28, 2026
16 PTS
4 3PM
3 AST pic.twitter.com/S7sCTSOght
Traore gave Brooklyn a much-needed jolt against Boston. In 24 minutes, he put up 15 points and three assists on 6-of-9 shooting before cramps knocked him out of the game.
His pressure on the paint helped open things up for the Nets’ offense, which finished with 125 points, 26 assists and 15 turnovers while launching a season-high 50 threes.
“[Nolan] worked really hard the whole summer. His body looks good.
Now he's more equipped to get to the paint and finish,” Fernandez said. “And he was obviously equipped to get into the [paint last season], but you didn't know exactly what would happen there because of the physicality.
And right now it looks much better. So that's a product of the great work he put in with the coaches… He's confident; he looks good… He did a great job the other day.
Obviously, I wanted him to play more minutes. He wanted to play more minutes.
But I felt like he was not moving great, and that's the reason why I pulled him out.”
Fernandez also made clear how he expects to manage his point guards going forward, indicating that Traore and Brown will be staggered between the first and second units. Brown, the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft, has opened the season off the bench while working under a minutes restriction, and that won’t be changing “any time soon.”
Brown had his own eye-opening night in Boston. After missing his first six shots, he caught fire late, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. His biggest moment came when he buried a fading three-pointer to force overtime with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.
But the rookie also had a costly sequence in overtime. Up by one late, Brown tried to finish at the rim instead of slowing things down and pulling the ball back, which gave Boston another chance. On the ensuing possession, he switched onto Jayson Tatum when he shouldn’t have, and Tatum made him pay with the game-winner.
Brooklyn will also have to adjust again after the latest injury news. The Nets announced Thursday that Demin has a bone bruise in his right leg and will be reevaluated in one week. Chaney Johnson will take his spot in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
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