Nolan Traore explodes for a career-high 23 points, showcasing a burgeoning backcourt presence for the injury-plagued Nets. His recent surge fuels debate about his future role.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Nolan Traore, the No. 19 overall selection in last year's draft, is the latest rookie to begin to establish himself within an injury-wrecked Nets lineup.
However, with a guard-heavy draft class on the horizon, his future in Brooklyn is unclear.
On Sunday, in Brooklyn's 121-115 victory over the Washington Wizards, Traore recorded a career-high 23 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. The rookie added seven assists.
After a scoreless initial minute of gameplay, Traore nailed a top of the key 3-pointer to open the scoring for the Nets. From there, he got comfortable, pulling up for threes with confidence.
His outburst marked a fourth straight game of double-digit scoring for the Frenchman, who is averaging 8.9 points and 3.9 assists on the season.
Traore has experiences his fair share of shooting struggles, shooting just 37.8 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from 3-point range, but his recent play and shooting stroke shows growth.
Although none of the Nets' NBA-record five first-round draft picks have been home runs, all have shown flashes of the talent that made them early selections.
Traore and rookie PG Egor Demin have shown promise in the backcourt, but this year's draft class is stacked with elite guard prospects.
Demin, the most consistent rookie for Brooklyn this season, averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds before going down with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, cutting his season short.
With Demin healthy, Traore projects as the PG2, playing a similar floor-general role to his rookie teammate off the bench.
If the Nets choose to draft one of the freshman guards available in the top 10, Traore's role becomes less clear.
As the NBA draft approaches, the Nets' chance at a top-three pick is coming into focus, as Roundtable's Lorenzo Reyna reported Monday afternoon.
After beating the Wizards on Sunday, Brooklyn (19-59) sits at the third-worst record in the league. If the Nets finish within the bottom-three, they will have 14-percent odds at the top pick with a 52.1-percent chance to land within the top four.
Brooklyn has among the easiest remaining schedules in the NBA, making its path to the No. 1 pick more difficult.
If the Nets do miss out on BYU's AJ Dybantsa, who is the projected No. 1 pick, or Duke's Cameron Boozer, who will likely be off the board within the top three, the front-court options become thinner.
Traore and Drake Powell are the only two of the five first-round selections from last year still playing, as Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf are both injured. Traore will need to continue his improved play through the end of the season to leave a positive impression with Nets decision-makers.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!