Predicting Where Nolan Traoré Will Play for the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets took guard Nolan Traoré with the 19th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft following their selection of Egor Demin in the lottery. They have different skill sets, and the Frenchman may be more difficult to project depending on when he gets comfortable with the NBA's pace.

What Position(s) Will Traoré Play?

In Overseas play, the 19-year-old primarily played point guard for Saint-Quentin. Traoré averaged 5.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game in his second season with the organization. If Brooklyn really wants to get its pace up, Traoré would be best suited at the helm of the offense.

Jordi Fernandez: "We want to play w/ pace. In my opinion we have the fastest guy in the draft. We have a lot of playmaking. All these guys can really pass...it helps when you have not just primarily ballhandlers but also secondary ballhandlers & all these guys can do it." #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) July 1, 2025

Especially with the roles the Nets' rookies played at NBA Summer League, it could make sense for Traoré to play point guard. His assist numbers didn't jump off the page in 22.8 minutes per game, but it was clear the coaching staff liked him penetrating the defense and finding Demin on the wings.

Traoré will likely also get time at shooting guard as a secondary ball-handler to give him in-game opportunities to work on his outside shooting. In Las Vegas, he went 1-for-7 from three-point range.

When scouting Traoré before the Draft, the staff highlighted skills that would make him a good fit anywhere in the backcourt.

"Elite first step," a Nets' coach said. "He could touch the paint whenever he wanted and he had vision."

To start the year, we believe Traoré will come off the bench as a backup point guard. Down the stretch, though, lineups with Demin and Traoré on the floor at the same time could become more common.

Could Traoré Play in the G League?

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 15, 2025 Caen, FRANCE; St Quentin point guard Nolan Traore with coach Julien Mahe against Le Mans in a Leaders Cup match. Mandatory Credit: Franck Faugere/Presse Sports via Imagn Images | Presse Sports via Imagn Images

If Traoré showed more consistent play in Las Vegas like his first game, where he had 13 points, three rebounds and three assists, this would be a less complicated question.

The ensuing two games got progressively worse, and his flaws as a small guard with an unreliable jump shot showed. Brooklyn's coaching staff most likely won't care about the inefficiencies and defensive lapses that come with Traoré in his rookie year.

Nonetheless, feeding him to the wolves could harm his confidence and not provide as much time to develop his skills as he would have with the Long Island Nets.

Half of the top 20 picks from the 2024 NBA Draft saw action in the G League. Traoré would get more opportunities to get up shots and run the show without affecting his psyche.

He was one of the fastest guards in the Draft, but right now, Brooklyn is leaning on his intangibles and it seems likely that Traoré will spend time in Long Island so he can adjust to the league's physicality.