Nets take Nolan Traore with 19th selection in NBA draft
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The NBA's French invasion continued as the Brooklyn Nets nabbed guard Nolan Traore with the 19th pick in the 2025 draft.
Traore, 19, is one of several skilled playmaking guards in this draft. However, some considered Traore less of a sure thing than his NCAA-reared counterparts after an up-and-down season with Saint-Quentin in the LNB Elite, the top tier of French basketball.
It's worth keeping in mind that Traore's Saint-Quentin tenure came on the heels of a stellar run with youth training institute INSEP in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. It's also notable that he turned down a lucrative collegiate path in the United States to work on his development in France.
Bio
Position: Point guard
Club: Saint-Quentin (France)
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 185 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-6
Max vertical: 34.5 inches
2024-25 statistics with Saint-Quentin (France):
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 39.7 | 31.7 | 71.9 | 1.7 | 5.1 | 11.7 |
Traore is a lightning-quick facilitator who can run an offense and get to the basket with ease. Although it's early in his development, some scouts have identified streaky shooting and shot selection as concerns at the next level, especially with his pull-up game. Still, there's no denying that he's a dynamic athlete orchestrating a good offense in one of Europe's best leagues - as a teenager, no less.
NBA comparison: Tony Parker. Equating Traore to the four-time NBA champ and Naismith Hall of Fame inductee might seem like a stretch, but, like Parker, Traore thrives at slashing his way to the hoop courtesy of top-shelf speed and agility. If Traore, who's two inches taller than Parker, can match his countryman's NBA career mark of 49.1% field-goal shooting, good days are ahead.