Could the Nets Deploy an All-Rookie Starting Lineup?

The Brooklyn Nets fully committed to a roster teardown over the course of the last year, shipping out Mikal Bridges, Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson and likely more to come. After a failing to cement themselves as playoff contenders, it's time to embrace the youth movement and rebuild.

In light of the rebuild, the Nets compiled an abundance of young assets –– specifically in the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn ended the event with five new first-round draft picks added to the team, ranging from pick No. 8 to pick No. 27.

Nets' 2025 first-round draft picks:

No. 8 - Egor Demin, BYU
No. 19 - Nolan Traore, Saint-Quentin BB
No. 22 - Drake Powell, North Carolina
No. 26 - Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm ULM
No. 27 - Danny Wolf, Michigan

Many critiqued the Nets for drafting players with overlapping skills and flaws, making for a clunky fit on day one. However, Brooklyn isn't in a rush to compete, and is willing to wait for the young core to figure it out and gel as a unit.

"The Nets' record-setting volume of first-round selections is almost more important from a process standpoint than the picks, one reason I gave high marks to the trades to acquire them," ESPN's Kevin Pelton said.

"Brooklyn is betting on developing a remarkable number of teenagers, many of them with overlapping skill sets. Demin and Traore share a lot of traits as strong playmakers with size whose shooting and scoring efficiency need work. They can play together defensively, but spacing the floor with those groups could prove challenging."

Banking on players with positional size and ball-handling abilities is a top strategy when it comes to swinging on upside, and each of the Nets picks share those traits.

It's unlikely that this group could see the court as a five-man platoon early in the season, given the looming presence of veterans like Terrance Mann, Nicolas Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. However, many rebuilding teams rest or trade their veterans by the time February rolls around, meaning the floor would be wide open for the youngsters to swoop in.

Potential all-rookie starting lineup

G: Nolan Traore
G: Ben Saraf
F: Egor Demin
F: Drake Powell
C: Danny Wolf

As previously mentioned, this lineup may appear clunky, but as the group has time to come together as a cohesive unit, it could make for an up-tempo and fluid offense. The ball-handling and playmaking skills of Demin and Wolf as oversized frontcourt members make for an opportunity to hunt mismatches against defenders, while Traore and Saraf set the table for the offense.

Powell can fit between the two groups as a spot-up three-and-D wing, taking the best opposing assignment and knocking down open shots the others create for him. For the unit to work, at least three of the five prospects would need to improve their 3-point shot, but that's within reason –– see Demin's Summer League 3-point percentage of 43.5.

It might not be the best available lineup the Nets could put on the court, but it's certainly a fun one worth trying out, and could put a deserved spotlight on the rebuilding team.