Nets' Nolan Traore Battling Ankle Soreness, Expects to Return for Sunday’s Game

The Brooklyn Nets came up short in their summer league opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas, as did multiple members of the team's rookie class.

Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf—all 2025 first-rounders—combined for 28 points. Traore, despite twisting his ankle early in the first quarter, accounted for 13 of those 28 points. Even with the ailment, the 19th-overall pick shot an efficient 3-of-5 from the field while displaying his ability to get to the free-throw line.

“That was a little bit hard because I rolled my ankle really early. … It took a while. You’ve got to go into it quickly and be ready. So it wasn’t that long,” Traore said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I was a little bit [sore] on the break with the ankle. But it’s all right. I’ll be right back on Sunday.”

Traore, known for his blazing speed, still managed to separate himself on the floor even while injured.

“I think his speed translates very well,” said Brooklyn assistant Steve Hetzel, also the head coach of the summer league. “We definitely put him in some actions where he could throw it and get it back and try to attack the rim. I thought he handled himself well with the physicality. I think, for all of our rookies, that’s something that’s gonna come over time. Getting in the weight room and their bodies maturing. So I look forward to that.”

Luckily for Traore, his injury wasn't very serious. As he said himself, he'll be back in action when the Nets take on the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Even though Traore was clearly the best of Brooklyn's draft haul in the summer league opener, he remains committed to getting his teammates involved.

“It was just game flow. So whoever gets the ball, whoever is the closest is going to get it,” Traore said. “And we don’t mind if it’s me or [Demin]. We just play."

A member of one of the most-scrutinized draft classes in the league, Traore will continue to prove the national media wrong while playing through an ankle roll in Sunday's tilt with Washington. That matchup is slated for 8 p.m. EST.