Nolan Traore's Preseason Surge Has Brooklyn's Backcourt Buzzing
Traore is averaging 13 points on 65% shooting through three preseason games — and his fantasy form is trending up fast. Here's the catch.
Hot preseason, but a crowded guard rotation keeps his role uncertain.
- 13 PPG on 65% FG, 57.1% from three (3 preseason games)
- Scoring climbed 10 → 12 → 17 across three outings
- Added an inch and ~12 lbs of muscle this offseason
- Ranked #243 overall, #113 at guard on our board
- Last 5 games: +7 fantasy pts vs season average
Nolan Traore is forcing Brooklyn to pay attention. The 6'4" guard has scored in a tidy progression through three preseason games — 10 against Charlotte, 12 against Philadelphia, 17 on Monday — and is now averaging 13 points while shooting 65% from the floor and 57.1% from deep. Yes, it's a tiny sample. But the confidence behind every attempt is the real headline.
This is a sharp turn from a year ago, when the No. 19 pick was viewed as a reach even inside the Nets' front office — ESPN's final mock had him sliding to No. 22. In 56 games last season (2025-26) he averaged 8.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds, good for 18.1 fantasy points per game and a #243 overall rank (#113 among guards) on our board. The late-season flashes were there; the consistency wasn't.
What Changed
The physical transformation is the story. After arthroscopic knee surgery, Traore grew an inch and packed on roughly 12 pounds of muscle over the summer. He says the knee is fully healed and that his offseason was mostly gym time, shot reworking and film study — keeping the same shooting form every rep, as he put it. Coach Jordi Fernández has praised his aggressiveness from three while challenging him to tighten up defensively.
Traore also credits Brooklyn's faster, more open offense, saying he's at his best attacking before the defense sets. That fits the eye test: his quickness was never the question. His layup finishing was — he ranked dead last at 44.4% among players with at least 100 attempts last season — so the added strength matters more than the preseason box scores suggest.
The Fantasy Fallout
Here's the complication. Mikel Brown Jr. makes his NBA debut Thursday in Miami, Egor Demin is in the mix, and Keon Ellis — who carries a 15.3 fantasy points per game mark across 72 games last season (2025-26) — has been starting for his point-of-attack defense and shooting. That's a genuinely crowded guard room, and the opening-night depth chart is still unsettled.
For fantasy managers, Traore is a watch-list name, not a draft-day lock. His form is encouraging — he closed last season up 7 fantasy points over his season average across his final five games — but the minutes picture won't clear up until the rotation shakes out. Stash him in deeper dynasty formats and monitor the first week of real games. If Fernández feeds him consistent run, the shooting leap makes him a sneaky streaming option. Until then, keep the roster spot flexible.
