Nolan Traore Is Still a Work in Progress - And That’s Exactly the Point
Some rookies come into the NBA looking polished. Nolan Traore came in like a raw gem-unrefined, but with flashes of brilliance that make you pause. The Brooklyn Nets’ youngest first-rounder is still very much in the early stages of development, but if you’ve been watching closely, you’ll see the signs: there’s something real there.
At just 19 years old, Traore is the sixth-youngest player under contract in the league and already one of the youngest to ever wear a Nets jersey. And while his early minutes in Brooklyn have been a mixed bag-errant passes into the crowd, drives into traffic with no real plan-he’s also shown something harder to teach: effort that never wavers.
When he makes a mistake, he doesn’t hang his head. He turns and sprints back on defense, trying to make up for it.
That kind of motor doesn’t guarantee NBA success, but it’s a foundation. It’s a signal to coaches and teammates that he’s invested, that he’s coachable, and that he’s not afraid to fail fast in order to learn faster.
G League Growth Spurt
Traore’s journey is going to take time, and that’s okay. The Nets have six players on rookie deals, including the “Flatbush Five” and Noah Clowney, which gives the front office the flexibility to let these guys develop without the pressure of immediate returns.
Lately, Traore’s been finding his rhythm with the Long Island Nets in the G League. His best performance came in a recent win over the Greensboro Swarm, where he dropped 28 points, dished out nine assists, grabbed five boards, and turned the ball over just three times. He shot an efficient 11-of-20 from the field and knocked down six of his nine three-point attempts-by far his cleanest showing to date.
Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernández took notice.
“Very good performance,” Fernández said. “I texted him.
I watched the game. We want to play a competitive and winning game of basketball.
It starts with the habits. I know he saw the ball go in [offensively], which [is something] you can’t always control.
But you can control taking the right shots, making the right play.”
That last part is key. Traore doesn’t need to be perfect-he just needs to keep building good habits. And that’s starting to happen.
Speed: His Superpower and His Kryptonite
There’s no questioning Traore’s speed. Heading into the 2025 NBA Draft, scouts were raving about his first step and ability to get into the paint at will.
Akbar Waheed, a member of Brooklyn’s scouting department, put it simply: “His ability to just get by guys, it stood out to me. Elite first step.
He touched the paint whenever he wanted, and he had vision.”
That burst is what got him noticed. But it’s also what gets him in trouble.
Traore can be too fast for his own good-playing at a pace that even his teammates can’t match. He’ll force drives into traffic or whip passes that catch nobody but the front row. It’s not a lack of talent, it’s about learning when to use the gas and when to tap the brakes.
Part of that is adjusting to the American game. In France, where he played for Saint-Quentin in the top domestic league, he was more efficient. There, he led the team in assists and averaged just 2.5 turnovers per game-compared to the 4.3 he’s averaging now in the G League.
And even that transition wasn’t seamless. His first pro game in France?
Just two points on 1-of-9 shooting with multiple turnovers. But by season’s end, he had settled in enough to be named FIBA Champions League Best Young Player.
That arc-early struggles followed by steady improvement-is one the Nets are hoping to see again.
His former coach in France, Julien Mahé, saw it firsthand.
“We knew he would have had some tough moments adapting to the team, the level and physicality of the league,” Mahé said. “But he was superb in the learning process: game by game, he was getting to know fast what he could and could not do.”
The Numbers Are Starting to Move
The improvements aren’t massive yet-but they’re there.
Over his last four G League games, Traore has posted a 5.5-to-4.25 assist-to-turnover ratio. Compare that to the 4.25-to-4.75 ratio in his first four games, and you start to see the needle moving in the right direction. It’s not eye-popping, but it’s progress-and at this stage, that’s what matters.
After his breakout game against Greensboro, Traore spoke about how the work is starting to show up on the court.
“I’m happy, and I work a lot also in practice, so I think my game has evolved, the shooting too got better, and I hope it’s going to continue,” he said. “I work on it every day, and I’m happy to see it paying off, and I’ll just keep going.”
No Rush, No Panic
The Nets aren’t expecting Traore to take over anytime soon. They’re playing the long game.
He’s still a project, not a finished product, and that’s baked into the plan. But the tools are there: elite speed, a developing jumper, a willingness to defend, and a motor that doesn’t quit.
There will be more bumps along the way. More turnovers.
More moments where the speed gets ahead of the decision-making. But there will also be flashes-like that 28-point night-that remind you why the Nets took a chance on him in the first place.
He’s not there yet. But he’s getting closer. And for a 19-year-old still learning the ropes, that’s exactly where he needs to be.