Nets’ Traoré Improved the Most Out of ‘Flatbush 5'

Nolan Traoré missed the California Classic and Las Vegas summer leagues, but according to his teammate, Chaney Johnson, he's the most improved of the Brooklyn Nets' Flatbush Five.

Traoré underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure in his right knee in June. While his fellow first-round picks showed their improvements in nationally televised summer games, his work was done behind the scenes.

Nets fans have seen him once throughout the offseason, and it's a video posted by Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The 20-year-old did some stationary shooting with a compression leg sleeve on his right leg.

Johnson said Traoré looks like a different guy after adding muscle in the offseason.

"He done put on some mass," Johnson said on "The Brooklyn Boys" podcast. "He’s walking around with a sleeveless hoodie on, looking at the biceps, you know what I’m saying? He done put on some strength.”

There is no official report on how much muscle Traoré packed onto his 6-foot-3 frame, but it should help him absorb contact in the paint without getting bumped off his spot. He could get past defenders with his speed, but shot 45% at the rim.

His rim percentage was the worst among all guards with more than 1,000 minutes played.

Traoré had a strong end to the season despite those struggles. He averaged over 11 points in the final 31 games, including a career-high 23 points in Brooklyn's 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards in the tank showdown.

The 6-foot-3 guard showed his playmaking skills, too. Traoré dished a career-high 13 assists in the Nets' 123-115 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 9.

Brooklyn's 19th pick often drove downhill, causing Chicago's defense to collapse and passed to a wide-open teammate. He zipped an impressive one-handed pass to forward Noah Clowney in the left corner for a wide-open three.

That's where he could shine for the Nets next season, and they need it. There is no backup point guard behind rookie Mikel Brown Jr., and one of the five first-round picks in last year's draft -- barring Egor Dëmin -- needs to show signs of consistency quickly.

Ben Saraf, the 26th overall pick, is his competition for that position. Johnson said the other young players got better, and Saraf has also gotten stronger.

Saraf opened the California Classic against the Golden State Warriors with a 15-point, 7-assist performance. It was a strong debut that felt like an outlier since the 20-year-old had shooting struggles for the rest of the summer.

Traoré has tough competition next to him ahead of next September's training camp. It will be the first test to evaluate how his newfound strength translates to his game