Nets Coach Jordi Fernandez Discusses Nolan Traore's Crunch Time Play vs. Celtics

Nolan Traore got a chance to handle crunch-time minutes in the Brooklyn Nets' 130-126 double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.

Jan 23, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore (88) brings the ball up court against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during double overtime at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Egor Demin has had many sparkling moments during crunch time this season for the Brooklyn Nets.

One that comes to mind is when he went on a 3-point barrage to help the Nets storm from behind against the Orlando Magic and force overtime earlier this month, only for his efforts to be spoiled by a buzzer beating 3-pointer by Paolo Banchero.

However, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez decided to go a different direction on Friday, giving Nolan Traore, one of the Nets' other rookie point guards, a chance to handle crunch-time minutes in Brooklyn's 130-126 double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.

Traore's burst helped him blow past defenders for nice looks at the rim, and his defense on Jaylen Brown in both overtimes helped the Nets stay in it until the very end against the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"I think as a 19 year old, Nolan played very meaningful minutes and he did a great job," Fernandez said.

"His ability to touch the paint and how slippery he is. And obviously, he's going to keep growing. There's some mistakes, and we need him to be like the floor general and talk and use his voice because obviously when I start seeing it from him, where he can call everything that makes sense, but he's got to grow that voice. And I'm going to trust him. He's doing a great job. I thought his ability to play pick-and-roll and create paint touches. That was the reason why I put him there. And also, defensively, he fought. He fought every single time with physicality."

Demin lasted less than two minutes on the court in the fourth quarter, as the Nets looked significantly better on both sides of the floor with Traore handling the point guard duties, especially with Traore's ability to put pressure at the rim.

"It collapses the defense," Fernandez said. "This is a team that protects the paint very well. Every time that he is able to get there and the line is pretty good. I don't know how many paint shots he made, but [he] shot the three well. He was aggressive. He gave us speed. So the speed, the spacing, the paint touches is just all good things for us. So that's why I went with him, and I was very happy to see how aggressive he was, and playing through this experience late game is important."