Nolan Traore starts for the first time with Brooklyn, but struggles against the Suns

The first start for Nolan Traore (6’3″, 19 years old) in the NBA wasn’t easy. In Macao, against the Phoenix Suns, the young French point guard had a complicated game in Brooklyn’s loss (132-127 OT). Messy in ball handling, he finished with 6 points on 3/5 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist and notably 4 turnovers.

Here is Nolan Traore’s speed popping within a half-court setting

Brooklyn can weaponize his quickness and first-step by putting him in space and giving him runways to attack defenders and get downhill pic.twitter.com/zE1YgJCMwJ https://t.co/crWi98BeeF

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) October 10, 2025

A difficult first start at point guard for Nolan Traore

After an encouraging first appearance against Hapoel Jerusalem (7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists), the rookie from Saint-Quentin was given the start by Jordi Fernandez. But the Suns’ defensive pressure quickly troubled him, as well as his teammate Ben Saraf, who also struggled (9 points, 2 turnovers).

The American-Spanish coach didn’t hide his frustration. « I felt that Nolan and Ben, as point guards, experienced real NBA pressure, and that’s a good thing. It’s a learning opportunity when you feel the real pressure from a good defensive team. It’s good experience. I hope that moving forward, they can improve and handle it better, because losing 34 balls that generate 42 points against us isn’t good enough. You don’t win many NBA games like that, » he stated after the game.

Titularisé hier face aux Suns à Macao, Nolan Traore a vécu une soirée compliquée : 6 PTS – 3/5 – 1 REB – 1 AST – 4 TO en 17 MIN. Même chose pour le second meneur rookie Ben Saraf

Jordi Fernandez : « J’ai trouvé que Nolan et Ben, en tant que meneurs, ont ressenti une vraie… pic.twitter.com/4GDHT2JrWe

— Basket-Infos (@Basket_Infos) October 11, 2025

Some rookies quiet, but others stand out

Beyond the statistics, Jordi Fernandez emphasized the need for his young point guards to learn to create within the team game. In the absence of announced starter Egor Demin, Nolan Traore still needs to find the right tempo against NBA physical pressure.

Meanwhile, other Nets rookies made their mark, starting with Danny Wolf (11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 14 minutes) and Drake Powell (6 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists). « I thought Danny brought some punch, made winning plays. Drake made the most of his minutes and showed his athletic side, » Fernandez added.

Fast-track learning for the French point guard

Drafted last June as the 19th pick, Nolan Traore is discovering high-level reality after a full season with Saint-Quentin in Betclic ELITE. The former U16 and U18 international, who appeared with France’s senior team in 2024-2025, now has a few weeks to adapt before the regular season begins.

Nolan Traore is speed 💨 pic.twitter.com/yq0VM7RILX

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 10, 2025