Brooklyn Nets: What Should Expectations be For Nolan Traore?

The Brooklyn Nets selected Nolan Traore at No. 19 in the 2025 NBA Draft. Taking a look back at past players in his draft position is a simple way to manage expectations for his rookie year.

Dating back to the 2021 NBA Draft, the 19th picks were Kai Jones, Jake LaRavia, Brandin Podziemski and Ja'Kobe Walter. Using these players' rookie campaigns to form realistic goals will give Traore a measuring stick for success.

The 19-year-old is in a unique situation with the Nets, who are in the midst of a rebuild. He has a more feasible path to playing time, but one should not assume that increased minutes leads to effective output.

Starting with Kai Jones, his rookie year output is on the lower end of the list. Despite joining a Charlotte Hornets roster that finished with 33 wins the year prior, he only logged 21 games played.

Following an underwhelming performance in the NBA Summer League, expectations for Traore to be a starter right away seem unrealistic. Although he is likely to see more playing time than Jones did in his rookie season, it would not be surprising if he spends some time in Long Island to refine his skills.

LaRavia had similar playing time to Jones during his rookie season, but he joined a Memphis Grizzlies team that had secured the No. 2 seed the previous year. He averaged only 11.8 minutes per game and struggled with his shooting, finishing at 38.9% from the field.

Traore should get a heavier playing load, but the efficiency numbers may look similar. In three games in Las Vegas, he shot 30.4% from the field and 14.3% from three-point range. Traore's outside shooting will take time to develop.

The two most recent No. 19 picks, Podziemski and Walter, are closer to the style of player Traore is. Podziemski started 28 games in his first season with the Golden State Warriors and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Walter put up similar numbers to the Warriors' guard, but on worse efficiency.

Expectations for Traore should align closely with those of Podziemski and Walter, projecting stats of 7-10 points per game, 2-4 rebounds per game and 3-5 assists per game.

The efficiency numbers will likely resemble LaRavia's, shooting below 40% from the field. Traore should not be expected to contend for Rookie of the Year or to make many starting appearances.

A realistic expectation for the French guard is to be a reliable backup and potentially spend time in the G-League for development purposes.