Nolan Traore’s Progress Shines in Nets’ Victory
Nolan Traore continues to develop his game, and the Brooklyn Nets’ rookies are showing they’re quick learners.
On Monday, Traore’s impressive performance contributed to a 123-115 victory against the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center, witnessed by a crowd of 17,038.
This win came despite the absence of Egor Demin and leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., which is significant as the Nets had only managed one win in nine games without Porter.
Nic Claxton also stepped up, scoring a career-high 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, while Traore effectively managed the offense.
The young French talent notched 13 points and 13 assists, tying for the highest assists by an NBA rookie this season and ranking fourth in team history for rookies.
“Every time you improve and every time you move up a level, you see progress,” Traore noted, reflecting on his growth. “It’s challenging initially, but it gets easier. I think it’s largely about hard work. I’m just putting in the effort every day and getting used to the game’s pace.”
Brooklyn holds the fifth position in the lottery standings, trailing behind Washington by one game and New Orleans by two, pending the outcomes for the Pelicans and Sacramento.
The Jazz are closely pursuing, being just half a game behind the No. 6 spot in Utah, with games still to come that night.
Traore made history as the first Nets rookie to log a point-assist double-double since Terrence Williams did so back in April 2010.
Noah Clowney contributed with 22 points, hitting 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Rookie Danny Wolf led Brooklyn’s scoring effort in the third quarter with 15 points, pushing the team to a 74-59 lead.
Early in the game, Drake Powell had a notable three-pointer over Patrick Williams, extending the Nets’ advantage to 87-73 with just over four minutes left in the third.
Despite this, the Bulls, who were missing players like Josh Guidy and Tre Jones, managed to tighten the score, finishing the third quarter tied at 89.
Traore spent much of the run on the bench, with Ben Saraf coaching. However, when Jordi Fernandes reintroduced him in the final quarter, the young player helped seal the game.
With the score tied at 99 and just over eight minutes remaining, the Nets executed a 10-3 run, gaining the upper hand.
Wolf capitalized on a three-pointer from Terrence Mann, giving Brooklyn a 109-102 edge with 5:19 left on the clock, and they successfully maintained their lead.
