Early in their Nets careers, Drake Powell and Nolan Traore looked like the team’s two rookies least equipped for the NBA.
One didn’t impress in college and missed most of the preseason. The other arrived built like a featherweight and played like the game was on fast-forward.
Powell wasn’t a starter or a featured player at the University of North Carolina, then spent Summer League and the opening stretch of preseason sidelined with a lingering knee injury. ESPN projected him as a second-round pick in its final 2025 mock draft, but Brooklyn selected him at No. 22 felt like a leap of faith, 10 spots earlier than where ESPN had him.
Traore, meanwhile, didn’t look ready from the moment he arrived. At 175 pounds, he was the lightest player from the NBA Combine to be selected in the draft. Even at the G League level, he played like he had a shorter shot clock than everybody else, piling up turnovers while hurrying through possessions that didn’t need to be rushed.
Now, two players who once had their NBA caliber questioned are averaging over 20 minutes per game this month, a reflection of both impressive development and growing trust from the coaching staff.
POWELL’S TWO-WAY VALUE
Powell’s overall collegiate stat line didn’t jump off the page, but a closer look showed some measurables that hinted at his two-way potential.
While he wasn’t lighting up scoreboards with the Tar Heels, he did score efficiently, shooting 37.9%from three and 48.3%from the field. Beyond his game action, there were some positives. His athleticism was on full display at the 2025 NBA Combine, finishing with the top standing (37.5 inches) and max (43 inches) vertical jumps. He also placed among the top five at his position in both the agility drill and the three-quarter sprint.
After ramping-up early in the season — while managing his injury, Powell is now operating at full capacity and proving to be a valuable asset. In a 116–113 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month, the North Carolina product scored a career-high 16 points, including a clutch three with five seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one. His defensive impact has shown up as well, recording two steals in Brooklyn’s recent 130–126 loss to the Boston Celtics.
“I see him as a very good shooter, a very good playmaker, I can run plays for him on the second side, he can handle in transition, he can guard the best perimeter player, his athleticism is top in the NBA for his position,” said Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. “We believe he can be not just a good but a great two-way player, which means that he’s going to be a very good defender.”
That’s high praise for the league’s 19th youngest player.
At 6’5” (in barefeet) and 195 pounds, the 20-year-old possesses the blend of size, athleticism and shooting ability teams look for in an ideal two-way contributor. Sean Marks understood that not all five of his first-round picks would become stars but for a team hoping to eventually contend, filling specific roles matters and Powell is beginning to find and prove his niche.
TRAORE TURNING CHAOS INTO CONTROL
Based on the way he opened the season, Traore’s recent improvement may come as the biggest surprise in the group.
The Frenchman was a mess … and that’s putting it kindly. He averaged 4.5 turnovers per game through his first four appearances with the Long Island Nets, a rate that would currently lead the NBA. But slow starts aren’t unfamiliar to him. During his time with Saint-Quentin in France’s LNB Elite League, Traore followed a similar arc before being named the FIBA Champions League Best Young Player.
By December, he was averaging 22.2 points, eight assists, and 1.4 steals per game in the G League while cutting his turnovers down to 2.2 before being called back up to Brooklyn. While he still uses his high-end speed to his advantage, the game has slowed down for Traore, allowing him to manipulate defenders with sudden changes of pace.
“He took full advantage of the opportunities he had with Long Island,” said Fernández. “And when he came back here, he did so with a different spirit and a lot more confidence.”
After playing in just ten games throughout the first three months of the season, the rookie point guard has already played in 13 in January, averaging 7.8 points and 3.5 assists while playing 23.4 minutes per game.
During Brooklyn’s 130–126 double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, Traore logged career highs in both minutes (37) and points (21), while also adding three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Indeed, he became the youngest player in franchise history to score 20 points in a game. (He’s also the fifth youngest player in Nets history.)
“His ability to touch the paint, how slippery he is, obviously, he’s gonna keep growing,” Fernandez said after the game. “He’s got to grow that voice, and I’m going to trust him. He’s doing a great job.”
JORDI’S NURTURING
Ultimately, the rapid development of these young players can’t be discussed without giving credit to Fernández. While growth still depends on the players themselves, much of it comes down to how they’re used, challenged, and ultimately put in positions to succeed.
There’s no tough love without the “love” part, and Fernández does a strong job of reminding his young players what they’re capable of while also jumping on every opportunity to correct them or clean up areas they can improve.
When Powell played only two minutes during a loss to the Dallas Mavericks back in December, his coach didn’t hesitate to call him out publicly.
“These young guys need to understand how important every minute you play is,” Fernández said. “If the intentions are there, I’m completely fine. But if the mistakes are from easing into the game, that’s not how we do it here.”
The following game, Powell responded with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal while helping the Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
For the Nets’ young players, progress hasn’t come through comfort or sugarcoating, but through constructive criticism and accountability.
It’ll be a while, maybe a couple of years, for pundits and fans to finally assess the Nets 2025 Draft, but for Powell and Traore, there’s already enough for change perceptions.
