Nolan Traore makes his name known in year two

For the second straight year, Nolan Traore will be the youngest player on the youngest team in the NBA, a 20-year-old on a team whose average age is, again, a little more than 24. At 20 years and five months old, he is six weeks younger than Mikel Brown, the Nets No. 6 pick in the 2026 Draft. (Brown is also three weeks older than Ben Saraf.)

But in the NBA, youth only gets you so far and now in his second year, Traore is starting to show he belongs. It’s early and there’s only a small sample to work from, but as C.J. Holmes points out in the Daily News Tuesday, the 6’4″ point guard with a shooter’s touch has growing confidence.

Traoré’s scoring has climbed with each appearance. He had 10 points against the Charlotte Hornets, 12 against Philadelphia 76ers and 17 Monday. Through three games, he’s averaging 13 points while shooting 65% overall and 57.1% from 3-point range. The percentages come from a small sample, but the confidence behind the attempts is clear.

A far cry from this time last year when there were doubts about about the No. 19 pick even inside the executive offices at 168 39th Street in Sunset Park. Like the top four picks in Nets historic draft, at least by numbers, he was considered somewhat of a reach. ESPN’s final mock draft had him going at No. 22. Never mind that he had once been seen as at top 5 prospect in the generational draft or the general assessment that he was the quickest guard in the Draft.

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While fans wanted a finished product, others inside the front office understood that it was going to take time. He was new not just to the NBA, but the USA. He needed time to develop physically as well as mentally. And at the end of last season, after a 13-game stint with Long Island, he was putting up numbers, even if inconsistently. In the last six weeks in Brooklyn, he put up 13 points a game along with four assists and it seems he was more under control. But he had a lot to work on. As Brian Lewis reported, of every player who attempted at least 100 layups, his 44.4% was dead last.

Then over the summer, after arthroscopic surgery on his knee, he grew, like physically grew. He picked…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nolan-traore-makes-name-known-232308561.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-13 23:23:00

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