Nets Rookie Nolan Traoré Nominated for NBA Rookie of the Month

The buzz surrounding Nolan Traoré only continues to grow as the No. 19 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft has been recognized for his improved production as of late. The French point guard was recently nominated for the NBA's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award after an impressive month of basketball.

Traoré started to get more minutes from the Nets in late January and flourished. He's already had multiple 20-point performances, showcasing both facilitation and scoring ability. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 43-34-75 shooting splits across 12 games.

Other nominees…

West: Ace Bailey (UTA), Cooper Flagg (DAL), Maxime Raynaud (SAC) and Javon Small (MEM)

East: VJ Edgecombe (PHI), Will Riley (WAS) and Nolan Traoré (BKN) https://t.co/Fz0xzH8GIr
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 3, 2026

The 19-year-old led all rookies in assists, including the East's Rookie of the Month winner, Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets). The Western Conference winner was Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs). Other players nominated in Traoré's conference were VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers) and Will Riley (Washington Wizards).

The 6-foot-3 floor general utilized what made him a special prospect in last year's draft. Traoré's strengths are his ball-handling, explosiveness, court vision and slashing ability. His three-point shooting numbers dipped toward the end of the month, but he was still an efficient scorer within the arc.

What makes the 19-year-old so special is his poise and ability to change speeds in the half-court. Traoré loves to utilize picks, and with solid screeners in Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe, he's able to get by with enough space to have multiple options.

Typically, Traoré positions himself at the top of the key with a variety of choices off the screen. Shooters like Noah Clowney are in the corner, ready to pull the trigger in case opponents play heavy help defense. The path to the basket is open for the point guard for an explosive drive, but the screener can also either pop or roll, in which case Traoré can find him well.

Traoré is making a late-season push for an All-Rookie Team after bouncing around between low NBA minutes and the Nets' G League affiliate in Long Island. It might be too late to get in with such a talented class, but regardless, he has put the league on notice.

After this rookie class received extreme criticism from analysts and fans, they've finally started to turn things around. Traoré, Egor Dёmin, Drake Powell, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf have all shown some flash of potential. Some more than others, but this is the recognition a rebuilding team like Brooklyn needs for fans to keep trust in the timeline.