While four of the five rookies the Nets drafted in the first round have seen a fair amount of playing time, Nolan Traore — the 19th pick overall — has appeared in just four games with Brooklyn.
Still just 19, Traore has spent most of the season with their G-League affiliate on Long Island, where he has impressed Jordi Fernández.
“His shot looks great and his assist-to-turnover ratio is great,’’ Fernández said after the Nets practiced Wednesday in Brooklyn. “Nolan has been good, particularly the last three or four games, and the group has played very well. We keep seeing growth from Nolan. We’ve been very happy.”
But with the way the Nets roster is set up, with fellow first-round picks Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf also at point guard, it’s hard to find minutes for Traore.
Asked if Traore might have a role with the Nets at any point in the near future, Fernández said, “That’s why we drafted him.”
The coach added of Traore and the other rookies, “We believe they’re NBA players and, for sure, we’ll see him on the court at some point.”
While they wait for Traore, Dëmin — their first pick in the last draft — has shown offensive skill and matched a season-high with seven assists in Saturday’s win over the Pelicans as he grows accustomed to the NBA grind.
Dëmin, also 19, said he’s trying to “figure out” the best way to be able to give maximum effort in each game and be able to get the most out of practice when the team isn’t playing.
Nic Claxton is coming off his second triple-double of the season and is the only true center other than Denver’s Nikola Jokic to have achieved the feat this season.
Of his improved versatility, Claxton — who had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Pelicans — said, “It’s just me being more confident [and] me being aggressive. That opens up opportunities for my teammates and myself and I know Jordi’s system with that year under my belt.”
Claxton is averaging a career-high 13.6 points per game, 4.5 assists per game and 2.8 offensive rebounds per game.
