The Brooklyn Nets made history last year with five first-round picks in the NBA Draft. 

While the rebuilding Nets were far from a team ready to compete this past season, finishing with a 20-62 record, there was progress. Known as the “Flatbush Five,” Egor Demin, Danny Wolf, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, and Drake Powell all played significant minutes this season and even shared the court together during a February game against the Orlando Magic. 

A 6’9, 198 lb guard from Moscow, Russia, the 19-year-old came to Brooklyn after earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors during his lone season at BYU. Starting 45 of his 52 games, Demin led the rookies in scoring with 10.3 points per game and in three-point percentage at 38.5%. Three-point shooting was initially seen as a weakness at BYU, where he shot 27.3% from deep, but Demin impressively turned it into a strength during his first season. 

Traore, a native of Creteil, France, made his way into the NBA after playing for Saint-Quentin in France’s first-tier league, LNB Elite. At 6’3 and 183 pounds, Traore spent most of the season bouncing back and forth from the G League, but late in the season, he emerged as one of the class’s strongest passers. In the last stretch of games, Traore settled into a facilitator role on the court.

Powell played the most games out of the five but had the lowest production with an average of 6.5 points per game. Despite this, the Carolina Defensive Player of the Year showed some consistent effort throughout the season.

“You don't see flashes, you see a reality.,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “You see where the growth is and what we have right there. A player that can play on both ends, a player that moves the way he moves, is very special.” 

Saraf averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, beginning the season as the starting point guard. Demin took over his position but Saraf was able to gain experience through both Brooklyn and Long Island and ended up drawing the most free throws of any Nets rookie. Saraf was born in South Africa and grew up in Israel, playing in both German and Israeli professional leagues before his rookie campaign. 

Wolf came in as the oldest of the group at 21. Playing 20.8 minutes per game, Wolf made an impact defensively as Brooklyn’s defensive rating improved by 2.8 when he was on the floor, according to Screwball, while the team’s block rate also increased by 1%. Using his 6’11 frame on both ends of the court, Wolf became one of the most efficient rookies coming off his junior season at the University of Michigan, where he earned All-Big Ten Tournament Team and All-NCAA South Regional Team. 

The franchise was not expecting wins with this lineup, but rather development — and that is exactly what they got. While Brooklyn may miss out on the top prospects with their sixth pick in the upcoming draft, the “Flatbush Five” appear to be just getting started. 

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