Rookie Nolan Traore is making the most of the rare Nets opportunity and could be in line for more

Egor Dëmin has earned the most confidence of the Nets’ five first-round picks. Danny Wolf has shown his versatility by flirting with double-doubles. Drake Powell’s athleticism has allowed his defensive skills to translate. Ben Saraf has gotten the second-most starts among Brooklyn’s rookies and leads the team in assists per 36 minutes (6.0).

Nolan Traore is next.

After spending most of his rookie campaign on Long Island and playing six games with the Nets — including 24 minutes of action over the previous seven weeks — Traore, the 19th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made the most of a rare opportunity to showcase his potential in Sunday’s 96-81 win over the Raptors.

In a career-high 22 minutes, the 19-year-old Frenchman scored eight points – after scoring a total of seven points in his first six appearances – with three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

“He looked confident, he looked in rhythm,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernández said. “He shot when he had to, he was solid with the ball, he played pick-and-roll, he looked quick, he kept the ball up front defensively.

“Overall he did an excellent job. [It] resembled all the minutes he has played [on] Long Island is now paying off. And now he came here with a lot of confidence, and that’s what it’s all about. Minutes are the best coach to develop yourself. And he took advantage of those minutes [on] Long Island, and now he’s taking advantage of his minutes here, and he played a big role in winning this game.”

With Cam Thomas still out and Powell dealing with another ankle injury, Traore could get another chance to showcase his speed and playmaking ability in tonight’s game in Philadelphia.

In 13 games with the Nets’ G-League team, Traore, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 18.8 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 43.1 percent on 3s.

“It really helps a lot that when you’re not playing you can get some good minutes [on] Long Island,” Traore said. “It’s pretty much the same rules as here, so it’s easy to translate that to Brooklyn… I think the more you play, the more confidence you get and [Sunday’s game] is a great example.

“I was waiting for this match and I just took the opportunity they gave me. I think I did a good job and I hope it stays that way.”

While their rookies are taking baby steps, the Nets are already being chased by one of the best draft classes in years — with Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears and Tre Johnson — after last season’s botched tank job resulted in Brooklyn’s first pick at No. 8 (Dëmin).

Now Fernández has the team on track to once again destroy the front office’s big bust plans. After losing their first seven games and starting 3-16, the Nets have finished 5-3 in December while allowing the fewest points in the league this month.

There are five teams with a worse record than the Nets (8-19), who are approaching a draft with three strong contenders for the top pick (Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa).

The NBA’s sixth-worst team has a 27.6 percent chance of being in the top three — the worst team has a 40.1 percent chance — and could fall as low as tenth in the lottery.

“The emphasis is on giving 100 percent of your effort in every match,” said Dëmin. “That’s the biggest focus for all of us right now.”