Nets Rookie Report
On June 25th, 2025, the Brooklyn Nets made history. The Nets had gone into the draft with five first round picks, which many fans expected them to trade, but that was not the case. The Nets chose five rookies, the most ever taken by one team in the first round, shocking the world. It was no secret that the team was going in a younger direction, but nobody expected them to go this young. But who are these kids? We’ve seen what they can do either in college or international play, and now in summer league, so lets see what we can expect on the biggest stage in the world.
Pick 8: Egor Dёmin
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 200 lbs
Wingspan: 6’10”
Position: PG/SF
College: BYU
Born: Moscow, Russia
Age: 19 years
It had been known that the Nets had shown interest in Dёmin, the guard from BYU, but many mock drafts had the Russian going off the board in the double digits, closer to the 19th pick than eighth. But the Nets bit at the 6’9″ guard early, and he certainly has an intriguing skillset.
College Takeaways: Dёmin played just one season at BYU, which gives a limited sample size, but he certainly showed some flashes of high level talent. Firstly, he showed incredible vision, making passes that seemed impossible for someone of his size. He uses that height to his advantage, with the ability to see over defenders and use his vision to create opportunities in a variety of ways. He’s also solid in moving in space without the ball, playing well as an off ball threat, although the lack of a jump shot leaves a lot of questions about him as a catch and shoot scorer. Defensively, he has solid length and physical tools, but isn’t a lockdown defender by any means. His most glaring weaknesses are that aforementioned lack of a consistent jumpshot throughout his college years, and a mediocre handle that limits his ceiling as a shot creator for himself.
Summer League Takeaways: Dёmin played much more as a wing than as a lead guard, giving us a glimpse at how he may fit into an NBA system. He moved off the ball a lot, which hid that iffy handle, allowing him to fit into a role without his lack of self creation hurting the team. His three point shooting looked confident and consistent, a huge improvement on a weakness from his college years, and that allowed him to be a catch and shoot player when other creators, such as fellow rookies Traoré or Wolf, got him the ball. On three point attempts during the summer league, Egor shot an incredible 43.5%, up from 27% at BYU. Now that he can play more catch and shoot instead of creating his own shots off the dribble, he’s improved drastically in the efficiency department. It is likely that will be the role we’ll see Egor fitting into at the start of his NBA career, and it is certainly interesting to see what his role in the offense is going forward. He still has great passing abilities, and summer league doesn’t provide a large enough sample size to really judge him yet.
Player Comparison: My comparison for Dёmin is Josh Giddey. A large point guard with great passing abilities, but struggles when it comes to self creation and the ability to score on his own. Giddey struggled to find a role when entering the league, but his most recent with Chicago showed promise, which could be a possibility for Egor as well.
My Take: Dёmin is certainly an intriguing prospect, and the combination of passing ability, a large frame, an improving jumper, and a unrelenting work ethic makes the Russian something to be excited about. He’s more of a swing prospect than I would want with a top 10 pick, with both a high ceiling but low floor. It’s hard to truly make a decision before seeing him in a real NBA game, but I’m excited to see what he could bring, especially as a small forward.
Pick 19: Nolan Traoré
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 185 lbs
Wingspan: 6’8″
Position: PG
From: Saint-Quentin (LNB Elite)
Born: Créteil, France
Age: 19 years
The Nets decided to stick with the international rooted players at the 19th pick, taking the Frenchman Nolan Traoré. There have been many great French players in recent NBA history, from Wembanyama to Sarr to Risacher, and Brooklyn is hoping Traoré is next up.
France Takeaways: The kid is fast. Very, very fast. He’s easily the quickest player in the draft, and he can go coast-to-coast with lightning speed. This allows him to attack the rim effectively, and with a strong handle, he can blow past defenders and get to the cup with ease. From there, he has strong playmaking upside, and he’s able to swing the rock out to the corners or wings after penetrating, allowing him to find open shooters. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always make that pass. He sometimes gets tunnel vision on the way to the rim, occasionally making bad decisions and taking poor shots. Furthermore, same as Egor, Traoré needs lots of work on his three point shooting. Currently, his only viable method of scoring is getting to the rim, limiting his upside for the moment.
Summer League Takeaways: The problems are still very much present. Unlike Dёmin, the Frenchman’s jumper didn’t look significantly better than once coming over the Atlantic, still being inconsistent and far from being a weapon. His defense and effort did look significantly improved, which helps him become more of a well rounded player, and that speed certainly hasn’t gone anywhere. His ability to get to the rim will be huge with NBA spacing, allowing him to attack an individual defender and reach the rim before help defense can rotate, and if he can improve his decision making, he would have a number of kick out passes that he can make.
Player Comparison: My comparison for Traoré is De’Aaron Fox. Obviously, it’s not likely that Nolan reaches that same All Star level, but the two share many of the same traits: extremely fast, great at attacking the rim, a good handle, and an inconsistent three point shot. If Traoré could end up with a career like Fox, the Nets should consider themselves blessed.
My Take: Traoré is certainly a fun prospect, with a great combination of physical tools and offensive ability. I do worry about his ability to be impactful on an NBA court, but he has the potential to be great in the future. If that jumper could come along and the decision making could improve, he could be one of the best offensive players from the ’25 draft.
Pick 22: Drake Powell
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 195 lbs
Wingspan: 7’0″
Position: SG/SF
College: University of North Carolina
Born: Durham, North Carolina
Age: 19 years
Many were surprised when the Nets used their 22nd overall pick to take Drake Powell out of UNC, but the reasonings became clear super fast. A ridiculous athlete and wing defender, Powell provides some heart and soul to a Brooklyn team that’s trying to find an identity.
College Takeaways: Powell possesses every ability to become a great impact defender. With a seven foot wingspan he’s incredibly good at getting to balls that seem out of reach, contesting shots very well for a 6’6″ wing. He’s got insane athleticism too, logging the highest vertical of anyone at the combine, a ridiculous 43 inches, allowing him to play far above his height. He has incredible instincts as well, defending the PnR exceptionally well for a young player, and just showing a lot of versatility on the defensive end. On offense, his athleticism and solid frame allows him to finish well at the rim, and he is an extremely solid catch and shoot player, shooting 40% on such attempts at North Carolina. He doesn’t create super well on the offensive end, and isn’t a volume scorer, but his tools allow him to be effective when given the right opportunity.
Player Comparison: The obvious comparison that comes to mind is Mikal Bridges. An elite defensive wing with length and quickness that makes him versatile and disruptive is exactly what Powell should strive to be. As his career has progressed, Mikal’s offensive game has elevated significantly, which may not be in Powell’s future, but physically the two share many similarities. Powell has slightly more athletic pop, and a less developed athletic game, but he could certainly find himself in a role similar to what Mikal fulfilled in Phoenix.
My Take: I personally love Powell as a prospect. A versatile defender is something that will never go out of style in the NBA, and having such great instincts and physical tools is something that elevates his defensive ceiling a ton. I never see him becoming an elite offensive player, but if he can cut well and knock down catch and shoot shots, he could certainly have a role in an offense as well. I can’t wait to see him against NBA competition, as that will be the biggest test his defense has ever gone through, and it will be interesting to see how he stacks up.
Pick 26: Ben Saraf
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 200 lbs
Wingspan: 6’9″
Position: PG/SG
From: Rhatiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa
Age: 19 years
Where the Nets really shocked fans was with their pick of Saraf at 26. They had already taken two point guards in the draft, and now they were taking a third, and one who showed similar weaknesses to Traoré and Dёmin prior to being drafted. Although Saraf was born in South Africa and played in Germany, he’s Israeli, and he’s played lots of time for teams there as well.
Germany/Israel Takeaways: Like the Nets other picks, Saraf has showcased great court vision and playmaking instincts while making his way to the NBA. Like Dёmin, he has great positional size, allowing him to see over defenders and make great passes, especially while running the pick and roll. He can create for himself solidly as well, with good footwork and body control, and a decent handle to go alongside it as well. Unfortunately, his scoring could still use a good bit of work. His three point shooting has always been a weakness, similar to the other guards selected by Brooklyn, and his mid range and free throw shooting haven’t been great either. He shoots an inefficient 15.6% on off the dribble threes, an awful number for a guard who likes to create with the ball in his hands. He’s not a great athlete either, without much speed on his first step, causing him to suffer on both ends of the floor, and potentially limiting his ceiling.
Summer League Takeaways: The problems from his pre-NBA days are still glaringly present. That three point shot still looks broken, and his mechanics don’t suggest it will be fixed anytime soon. He still showed flashes of talent, however, with a solid ability to get to the rim, a shifty handle, and a good control of his own tempo. His stats didn’t jump off the page, and his summer league time was overall pretty disappointing, but he had also just been playing in Germany just days before his debut, so he had been playing tired and without much rest.
Player Comparison: It was difficult to find a comparison for Saraf, as I’m the least familiar with his game of any of the rookies, so I’ve looked through some other people’s comparisons for assistance. Two of the names I saw the most were D’Angelo Russell and Manu Ginobili, both lefties (like Saraf). Russell’s creativity with the handle and ability to get to the rim does make sense for Saraf, and the game IQ that comes from international professional play is present in both Saraf and Manu, but he’ll need to develop that jumper more before he can live up to either comparison.
My Take: Saraf is my least favorite pick that the Nets took, as it just didn’t make sense to me to take another guard. But just looking at him as a player, I can see some appeal. He shows flashes of being a crafty playmaker for himself and others, and it’s always interesting to see what international rookies can become. Off the bat, it seems like a disappointing pick, and it will certainly take him a while to adjust to NBA play, but he certainly has some interesting traits.
Pick 27: Danny Wolf
Height: 6’11”
Weight: 250 lbs
Wingspan: 7’2”
College: Michigan
Born: Glencoe, Illinois
Age: 21 years
The oldest and biggest of the Nets draft picks, Wolf was expected by many to go off the board before 27, where the Nets took him. Wolf played three total years in college before declaring for the draft, two years at Yale and his junior year at Michigan.
College Takeaways: Wolf comes into the NBA with one of the most unique skillsets of any college player. Not often is it that a big man can run the pick and roll as the primary ball handler, but Wolf is an anomaly. An incredibly gifted passer for his size, he makes difficult passes that most guards don’t even see as an option, let alone a 6’11” big. His unique abilities don’t stop there, as he has an incredible handle for his size, creating a variety of shots off the bounce, using step backs particularly well. Not often is there a big who can create his own shots on the perimeter, but Wolf can do just that. He can fit the roles of a stereotypical big as well, crashing the boards well and averaging an impressive 9.7 rebounds in his year at Michigan, leading the Big Ten in that category. Unfortunately, there are a few prominent weaknesses in Wolf’s game as well, partially due to his unorthodox style. He can get turnover happy, averaging 3.2 turnovers at Michigan, and the risky passes that he loves to make can lead to easy stops for the defense. He certainly makes the passes at times, but when he’s averaging just a hair more assists than turnovers, it limits his ceiling as a playmaker. He’s also not an incredible athlete, which could be exposed against NBA players, and that limits his ability as a defender both on the perimeter and as a rim protector. His shooting from both the free throw line and behind the arc also could use some work, as he isn’t efficient at either, which hurts him as a high volume three point shooter.
Summer League Takeaways: Wolf had an up and down summer league, with some flashes of great abilities, but also some prominent struggles. On the positive side, he showcased some of his offensive abilities, especially against the Magic, dropping 18 points on 50% shooting, which included knocking down two threes. He had the ball in his hands a lot during the summer league, which led to him making a few great passes, but the turnovers were still an issue, having at least three turnovers in all three games he played during summer league. His lack of athleticism was also clear against NBA level athletes, and although he was still active on the glass and got a few blocks, he doesn’t possess much lateral quickness or agility on the defensive end, and he racked up fouls in a couple of the contests. His free throw shooting also still needs a lot of work, as it was a problem in college and hasn’t appeared to have improved much.
Player Comparison: Wolf is one of the most difficult players to make a comparison for, since his skillset is so unique. I would be lying if I said I don’t see shades of Jokic in his game, specifically in his abilities to make difficult passes and the lack of athleticism. However, Wolf is far more perimeter oriented than Jokic, and obviously lacks a lot of the intangibles that Jokic has developed over the years. Kyle Anderson was another name that came up during research, due to his size and perimeter abilities, but Wolf’s playstyle doesn’t really remind me of Slo-Mo. It may take some time before we can truly see Wolf emulate another player, because his skillset is just so unique.
My Take: Wolf’s abilities present a ton of reasons to be hopeful for him as an NBA prospect. With such a unique set of skills, he could pose a problem to defenses, but his weaknesses also pose a problem to Brooklyn. He’ll need significant work on the turnovers and his athletic abilities, and as an older rookie, it makes me wonder if his ceiling may be limited.
Future Outlook
So with five first round picks, some of which were unpopular among the fans, how does this team move forward? Firstly, they just have to hope that a couple of these guys pan out. Not every one of them has to become a star, that would be wishful thinking, but they’re going to need some of them to become genuine NBA players. If this front office strikes out on their picks again, after all the struggles they’ve endured in the past few years, from underperforming in the playoffs to losing their big three to the recent Cam Thomas situation, the fanbase will be calling for their jobs.
For their sake, the sake of the Nets, and the sake of Nets fans, these rookies are going to need to pan out. Jordi Fernandez had a great rookie coaching year, and these rookies are all very playmaking oriented, so it’ll be interesting what this franchise can do now that they are loaded up on young talent.
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