Brooklyn Nets fans won’t see Nolan Traore on the floor in Sacramento or Las Vegas this July. The rookie point guard underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is officially out for Summer League, general manager Sean Marks confirmed Monday.
“Nolan just had a scope on his right knee, so he will not be in summer league, but he is expected to be a full return for training camp in early September, so he won’t miss much time,” Marks said. “He had a little bit of (soreness) dating back to the season, so now he decided the best thing is to get this scoped and get this taken care of.”
It’s not ideal timing for a 20-year-old who grabbed the starting point guard job during the second half of last season. But the Nets clearly want to be cautious with a player they see as part of their long-term future.
Traore’s Breakout Before the Break
The No. 19 pick in last year’s draft started his rookie year mostly in the G League. Then something clicked. By February, he was running Brooklyn’s offense and looking like a real find.
Traore averaged 8.9 points on .380/.318/.787 shooting splits with 3.8 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game across 56 appearances, 31 of them starts. During a 15-game stretch from February to early March, those numbers jumped to 12.9 points and 5.2 assists on .451/.388/.765 shooting. That version of Traore is the one the Nets are betting on.
The knee soreness apparently traced back to the regular season. Rather than push through another offseason, Traore and the team decided to clean it up now so he’s ready for camp.
Marks said the recovery timeline is short. Training camp starts in early September. So this is more of a precautionary pause than a major setback.
Summer League Roster Taking Shape
While Traore sits, Brooklyn’s other rookies will get reps. Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf are all available for Summer League. Mikel Brown Jr., the No. 6 pick, and Tyler Bilodeau, taken at No. 43, have no injury restrictions and will practice with the team starting Tuesday.
There’s one complication. Joshua Jefferson, the No. 28 pick, can’t join Brooklyn’s Summer League squad until the Julius Randle trade becomes official on July 6. That means he’ll miss the California Classic in Sacramento on July 4-6. But he’s expected to be available for Las Vegas.
The Nets posted their Summer League squad on social media Monday, and the excitement around the young group is real — even without Traore under the bright lights.
Brooklyn’s Summer League run starts in Sacramento before heading to Las Vegas. No word yet on who starts at point guard in Traore’s place, but Demin and Powell are the most likely candidates to get those first reps.
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