Nolan Traore selected No. 19 overall by Nets | 2025 NBA Draft Grades & Instant Reaction

Nolan Traore selected No. 19 overall by Nets | 2025 NBA Draft Grades & Instant Reaction

Back here on CBS sports HQ. On the clock, presented by Jeep. A third Frenchman off the board in Nolan Trier. He played in France’s top league last season, 11 points per game, a team high five assists in their season last year. And he is headed to the Brooklyn Nets. Back here in studio, Adam Finkelstein, Gary Parrish alongside as well as Matt Norlander and Avery Johnson who is on the road in Dallas for us. I’m a little confused here with this pick. Are you or what grade are you giving here? This is a little odd to me. I’m confused. Why is still I am on the board. Yeah, I am too. And I’m very interested to see what what kind of feedback we get from this. Whether there’s something in the medical. I don’t think there would have been anything in the background. But what exactly is going on now on its own? I think Traore at this spot is good value. Traore came into this draft cycle viewed as a potential top five pick in this draft. Tremendous speed, good positional size, creativity as a ball handler, just a ton of playmaking ability. One of the questions was the shooting, and he made significant strides with the shooting throughout the course of his season. This year, I actually posed the question about a month ago, are we sure Traore is that much worse than Jeremiah fears? I think that’s a relevant discussion. So I like the value here, but I too am surprised, especially if they’re drafting a point guard that was not in the mix. Yeah. With us, it reminds me a little bit of last year when Kyle Filipowski started sliding relative to where most of the year before believed. And there is usually an explanation for this stuff with Cam Whitmore. If I remember correctly, it was some injury concerns, medical stuff with Filipowski, it was personal stuff. But all of this typically comes out the night of the draft or by the next morning. We should have an explanation for this at some point. All right. Give me a draft grade for Traore here. Oh it’s a b. Yeah. Very solid all right very solid. All right. Do you like what the nets have done with their first two picks Yegor Demin and Nolan Traore here at 19 I feel like they got better value. Interesting I will say this I might have done it a little bit differently, but I have great confidence. There’s always variables that we don’t know whether it’s the Intel, the medical or an understanding of what you have in house. And the nets player development program was renowned. It was the reason why their rebuild was accelerated before they drafted Kevin, before they acquired Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving. And then obviously that didn’t go well. But if they think they can develop demons shooting, if they think they can develop Trey or shooting, now you’ve got ball handlers and playmakers all over the floor. Let me also make this point. Taking Traore is an indication that they may not think Jaeger Dedmon is a point guard either. That’s right. But you you take two teenagers that both are a ways to being reputable NBA players. But the stuff you’re looking for like the natural ability with minutes the incredible positional size with Traore. It’s you know he’s real shifty with the ball. He’s hard to guard a little bit. You know Frank mentioned Jeremiah fears hard to guard a little bit like fears is hard to guard. So you’ve got some interesting stuff to work with but you’ve got to develop. And that’s probably, you know, a couple years away at least. What do you think about the nets? They have three more picks here. Do they, do they make all three of those remaining selections? I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t think anybody had anticipated them drafting the way they did tonight. I don’t think anyone anticipated them keeping all five. What I would say to you is that I think it depends who is on the board. Okay. Are you feeling pretty good right now? If you’re the Brooklyn Nets with these two picks, let’s say you’re a fan of the Brooklyn Nets. I always phrase it this way. Let me hear this. It’s not what I would have done, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work out. Even Sam Presti, who is widely regarded as the best front office member in American sports, misses on draft picks. Sometimes draft analysts do as well. Do you know what that is, though? That’s father speak. That’s when you look at your kid and you go, you know what, little Jimmy? That’s not what I would have done in that situation. I think you had another I phrased it somewhat differently. Well, yes. You know, sometimes we do. But there was a thing called the Power to Choose. We have a book that we have called Power to Choose. Is that what you would have? Is that the decision you would have made there in that spot, little Jimmy? Yeah. That’s the conversation you have with your children in the early stages. Eventually you get to the point of, what are you doing? Yes. What in the name get in the house right now. So it changes tone as time goes by. All right.

Adam Finkelstein, Gary Parrish, and Avery Johnson join CBS Sports HQ to grade Nolan Traore being drafted by the Brooklyn Nets at No. 19 overall.

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