The Brooklyn Nets’ unusual 2025 draft haul is moving from promise to proof.
After using five first-round picks to bring in Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf, Brooklyn spent its first season simply collecting information. Now comes the harder part: figuring out which of those rookies can actually become part of the rebuild.
Bleacher Report recently pointed to the Nets’ entire 2025 first-round class as the group with the most to prove on the roster heading into the 2026-27 season, and that feels like a fair read after Year 1. Brooklyn did not draft this group expecting five home runs. The bet was on volume, on giving itself enough swings to uncover a few real long-term pieces.
Year 2 should start separating the useful from the uncertain.
Dëmin is the one who already looks the safest. The No. 8 pick gave Brooklyn a rookie season that offered real encouragement, averaging 10.3 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from three.
He also showed defensive value and looked more comfortable getting downhill during Summer League. The questions are still there - especially around his handle and his ability to create offense on a consistent basis - but he’s already done enough to suggest there’s more in the tank.
The rest of the group has more to answer for.
Traoré flashed as a playmaker, especially late in his rookie year, but the efficiency never really came with it. He finished at 38 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three, while averaging 2.3 turnovers per game. The speed and creativity are obvious; now Brooklyn needs to see those tools turn into steadier production.
Powell may have the most riding on this season. His athletic profile still jumps off the page, but it didn’t consistently show up in games during his rookie year.
He averaged just 6.5 points per game and never really made a steady imprint on either end. For him, Year 2 has to be about more than highlight flashes.
The Nets need to know he can affect games even when the scoring isn’t there.
Saraf had his moments too. His vision stood out, and so did his strength when he got to the basket.
In 44 games, he averaged 3.3 assists and 0.9 steals. The challenge now is obvious: tighten up the shooting and the turnovers without stripping away the creativity that makes him interesting in the first place.
Wolf may have had the most complete rookie season of the bunch. He posted 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists, and his defensive instincts were a real bright spot. Even so, the numbers from the floor - 40.5 percent shooting overall and 32.2 percent from three - leave plenty of room for growth.
Brooklyn is not trying to turn this class into five stars. That was never the point.
But with another young group added through the 2026 NBA Draft, minutes are going to be harder to come by, and the Nets need answers sooner rather than later. At some point, this franchise has to identify which of these young players belong in the next good Nets team.
Year 2 should tell them a lot.
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Hughes framed Demin alongside Mikel Brown Jr., another young guard who flashed enough in draft and summer league settings to make the comparison worth watching. Both have given Brooklyn reason to think the future could be driven by young perimeter talent, and the real intrigue is which one ultimately becomes the player the Nets build around as the roster takes shape over the next few years. [Read more 🡒]