Drake Powell

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Powell, Wolf, Oubre, Watford, Robinson

October 28th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The members of the Nets‘ organization who are prioritizing a “good pick” in the 2026 draft likely aren’t overly upset about the team’s 0-4 start, but head coach Jordi Fernandez wasn’t pleased with the compete level he saw from his club in a blowout loss to Houston on Monday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“I need consistency and urgency. And that’s got to be like something that we cannot decide if we’re doing it or not,” Fernandez said. “It’s a matter of who we want to be, right? Giving up 42 (first-quarter points) to start, it’s not great. It’s just unacceptable to take an NBA game for granted. And our guys are trying. They just don’t know how much harder and focused they can do things. And I believe they’ll keep taking those steps. A lot of it is just lack of experience.”

Only two of the Nets’ five 2025 first-round picks were active in Houston, with Egor Demin (plantar fascia) ruled out and Drake Powell and Danny Wolf assigned to the G League. Still, seven of the 12 players who saw the floor for Brooklyn are under 25 years old, and three others are just 26.

As Lewis writes, the challenge for the Nets as an organization this season will be to lose enough games to get that high draft pick coveted by management and ownership while not establishing the sort of hard-to-break habits that will negatively impact the team’s culture going forward.

“A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one player agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create.”

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Powell played just two minutes in the Nets‘ opener, while Wolf has yet to make his regular season debut. Both players have been dealing with ankle injuries, but Fernandez suggested on Monday that they’ll likely get a look in the NBA after they spend some time with Long Island in the G League and get healthy. “We have a plan for everybody. Sometimes, those plans have to be made on the go because we didn’t know they’d sprain their ankles,” Fernandez said, per Lewis. “They did. Now, they’re ready to practice. Now, they can get real practices. That’s very good that they can do that, so when we need them, they’re ready to go. I’m very happy with the resources we have, how we use them, and it’s good that they have this practice and then they can help us soon.”
While the backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe has deservedly gotten much of the credit for the Sixers‘ hot start head coach Nick Nurse was effusive in his praise for the team’s third-leading scorer, Kelly Oubre Jr., after the forward racked up 25 points and 10 rebounds in Monday’s win over Orlando. As Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets, Nurse raved about Oubre’s defensive versatility and effort on the boards. “Kelly was awesome,” Nurse said. “That was one of Kelly’s best games, if not his best game, as a Sixer. He was awesome from the beginning.” The 29-year-old is on an expiring $8.38MM contract and was considered a possible trade candidate during the offseason.
Forward Trendon Watford will make his Sixers debut on Tuesday in Washington, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Watford, who signed with Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer, has been sidelined since training camp due to a right hamstring injury.
The Knicks have ruled out center Mitchell Robinson for a fourth straight game to open the season due to left ankle injury maintenance, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Robinson has yet to play this season despite no indication from the team that he suffered a new injury or a setback this month.

Atlantic Notes: Z. Williams, Thomas, Demin, Edgecombe, Gonzalez

October 27th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries continue to pile up for the Nets, who dropped their third straight game Sunday in San Antonio and saw Ziaire Williams leave with a lower back contusion, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Williams landed hard on the court after a collision, and his status for tonight’s game in Houston is uncertain.

“Yeah, it definitely hurt. I would never leave the game if I could play,” Williams said. “It just got real tight. I couldn’t really move out there. So I’ve just got to go over it with the medical staff. They’re already going over a game plan for me. I’ve already iced and started my recovery now. So hopefully, with this early game and some recovery and I get back to hotel, hopefully, I’ll bounce back.”

Brooklyn was already without Haywood Highsmith, who is recovering from right knee surgery, along with rookies Drake Powell and Danny Wolf, who are day-to-day with sprained ankles. Cam Thomas is dealing with a nasal fracture, but he’s opting to play without a mask.

“Just gotta keep playing, keep pushing. If I’m good enough to play, I’ll be out there playing, so no worries. Just basketball,” Thomas said. “Yeah, I considered it, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t that bad. … If I wanted to wear a mask, I could. But at the end of the day, I’ll just take my chances.”

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Nets guard Egor Demin is showing promise early in his NBA career, but he understands that he has to drive into the lane more often to be fully effective, Lewis adds in a separate story. Demin is answering doubters about his outside shot, but he needs to break down defenses to create opportunities for teammates. “We have a lot of shooters, and for me getting to the paint is an opportunity to make their lives easier and create something good for them,” he said. “So that’s something I’m really having in focus. And I’m really planning to work on it even more and trying to adjust myself so I can be able to do that more.”
Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe has already won over Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). After scoring 34 points on opening night, Edgecombe has found multiple ways to help the team, posting 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals in Saturday’s win over Charlotte. “You’ve got to keep being aggressive, but also letting the game come to you,” Embiid said. “And that’s what he did tonight. Every night, I said it after the first game, every night — it might be Tyrese (Maxey). It might be me. It might be him. It might be someone else, but you’ve still got to play the right way. Some nights, you’re not going to score. How else are you going to contribute? He’s doing it defensively and sharing the ball.”
Guarding Cade Cunningham was part of the assignment on Sunday as Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez made his first NBA start, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Gonzalez got plenty of recognition from teammates after holding the Pistons star to three points on 1-of-5 shooting as his primary defender. “I like Hugo’s mentality. I like how he comes out; he’s ready to go,” Jaylen Brown said. “He knows his role. And he can play. So, we’re gonna need more of that. He’s gonna continue to learn as he gets better, as he grows, but that’s what we need.”

Nets Notes: Porter, Clowney, Powell, Wolf, Rotation

October 24th, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Projected to be the NBA’s very worst team a year ago, the Nets defied expectations in the season’s opening weeks, winning nine of their first 19 games. If they hope to repeat that feat this fall, Wednesday’s season opener in Charlotte didn’t represent a step in the right direction.

As Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, Brooklyn looked very much like a tanking team in a blowout 136-117 loss to a Hornets club that won just 19 games last season.

“We weren’t good on defense at all, especially in transition,” forward Michael Porter Jr. said after the game. “Offensively we got some good looks, but we’ve got to be more organized and together as a team. We definitely need to have a sense of urgency and figure out our identity. We’ve got to figure that out as a team. It’s the first game; can’t overreact. But at the same time we saw some glaring problems, individually and collectively.”

As Porter observes, the Nets struggled badly on the defensive end in Wednesday’s loss, allowing the Hornets to make 53.3% of their shots from the field, including 47.2% of their three-pointers. Charlotte also outscored Brooklyn 23-5 in fast-break points.

“We just got to execute better from top to bottom — all five guys on the court, the bench. Our energy. We just all have to be better, for real,” starting center Nic Claxton said. “It starts on a defensive end … our energy just has to be better. And when we face adversity, we all have to be better. Everybody.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

It was a forgettable Nets regular season debut for Porter, who struggled on both ends of the court and was a team-worst -19 in 25 minutes, Lewis writes in a separate New York Post story. While Porter has never been a lockdown defender, he’s usually a reliable source of offense. However, his shot wasn’t falling against Charlotte, as he knocked down just 5-of-15 attempts from the floor. “I just didn’t feel like I was as fresh as I needed to be,” he said. “I feel like a lot of the guys were probably a little bit more sluggish, a second too slow.”
Nets forward/center Noah Clowney was happy that the team decided to exercise its fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract this week, guaranteeing his $5.41MM salary for 2026/27. “It feels good to know that they believe in me to do that,” Clowney told Lewis. “So for them to do that means they believe in me being some form of long-term piece. So, it feels good to know that.”
A pair of the Nets’ first-round picks are sideliend with early-season injuries, per Lewis. Drake Powell sustained a right ankle sprain in Wednesday’s loss in Charlotte, while Danny Wolf sprained his left ankle at the team’s shootaround earlier in the day. Both rookies have been ruled out for at least the club’s Friday home opener vs. Cleveland.
In the wake of Jordi Fernandez‘s comments about his plan to use a 10-man rotation, Lewis (subscription required) explores what the Nets’ rotation might look like, suggesting that rookies Nolan Traore and Powell could probably benefit from some time in the G League during the first half of the season.

New York Notes: Kolek, Yabusele, Thomas, Powell

October 17th, 2025 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Malcolm Brogdon‘s sudden retirement announcement, the Knicks are weighing their options for the backup point guard position behind Jalen Brunson.

In the view of Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required), the team has three options: Trade for a backup, give second-year guard Tyler Kolek a chance to earn a rotation role, or take a committee approach, with Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges all taking on additional ball-handling responsibilities.

For his part, Brunson doesn’t sound like someone who wants the front office to go out and make a trade to fortify the depth at his position. He expressed confidence in the team’s in-house options, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post.

“We’re in good hands, great hands,” Brunson said on Thursday. “[Kolek] has been getting better every day. Deuce has been getting better every day. Those guys, they come in and they work on their game nonstop. When you see that, you have the utmost confidence that when their number is called they’re going to be ready to go. So like I said, we’re in good hands.”

Head coach Mike Brown also made it clear he’s not particularly concerned about how the Knicks will get by when Brunson is off the court.

“We feel like we have a deep roster, and a lot of guys will have an opportunity to grab whatever minutes might have been there or might not have been there,” Brown said, per Botte. “It’s just a case of earning your stripes, and we’ll figure it out at the end of the day, whoever’s gonna get whatever minutes are available.”

Here are a few more notes on the NBA’s two New York teams:

It hasn’t been an especially memorable preseason for Knicks forward/center Guerschon Yabusele, who has scored just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting in 42 total minutes of action through three games. As Bondy writes for The New York Post, Brown and the Knicks recognize that there will be a “learning curve” for the newcomer as he adjusts to both a new team and a new system. “I’m really trying to be as much as I can be focused to try to get every detail to make sure I’m at the right spot,” Yabusele said. “For me, it’s a new team with new guys so I really try to fit into the system and be a solution, not a problem.”
Brown has expressed a desire to treat Friday’s preseason finale as a dress rehearsal for the season and use his “normal rotation” for the game. However, four key Knicks – Hart (back), OG Anunoby (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns (quad), and Mitchell Robinson (load management) – are considered day-to-day and may not be in position to play big minutes, if they’re available at all, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required).
Given the make-up of the Nets‘ roster, it’s safe to assume Cam Thomas will do plenty of shooting and scoring in 2025/26. Still, head coach Jordi Fernandez is pushing Thomas to take advantage of the defensive attention he’ll receive by improving his play-making and creating shots for teammates, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Yeah, me and Jordi always talk about it, we always have conversations about it,” Thomas said. “Jordi is also very understanding of who I am as a player. He knows I’m a scorer and he knows how I play. But it’s also the fine line of being aggressive, get your own shot and then getting guys other shots. We always have that dialogue, and it’s great. So this year we have a better understanding. He has a better understanding of me, and I have a better understanding of what he wants.”
Nets rookie Drake Powell‘s 13.8% usage rate during his first and only season at UNC was the lowest of any wing ever drafted, per The Athletic, but Fernandez isn’t concerned at all about that, writes Lewis. “I wasn’t there [at UNC], and I cannot judge whether it’s positive or negative,” the Nets’ head coach said. “But I see [Powell] as an elite on-ball defender, as probably the best athlete of this draft, a player that can run a play on the second side, a very good ball-handler. … He’s going to have to take advantage of his minutes. If he starts with [an] opportunity, great. If not, the opportunity will come.”

Atlantic Notes: Saraf, Powell, Martin, Edgecombe

October 5th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Nets had their preseason opener on Saturday, routing Hapoel Jerusalem by a score of 123-88. Despite the less-than-dramatic result, there were interesting takeaways for Nets fans, especially in regards to who got the nod at starting point guard, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

With 2025 top-10 pick Egor Demin recovering from a plantar fascia tear, rookie Ben Saraf, the 26th pick this summer, took the reins and delivered a very encouraging performance, finishing with nine points and six assists versus one turnover.

“He plays like a vet. He was good with the ball taking care of the ball, which at times in camp it was something he hasn’t been as good at,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “With five fouls, that’s the thing that he’s going to clean up a little bit more. But I was very, very happy even though he had those fouls early in the game, his mind was in the game and he kept playing and he was not really affected by it. So it tells you who he is, how mature he is at his age. He’s just going to keep getting better.”

While it’s unclear whether Saraf will continue to hold onto the role once Demin returns, it’s notable that he was given the keys over Nolan Traore – who was selected ahead of him at No. 19 in the 2025 draft – and recently acquired third-year guard Kobe Bufkin.

We have more notes from around the Atlantic Division:

In the same article, Lewis notes that Drake Powell, the 22nd pick in the 2025 draft, will soon be able to see his first action for the Nets. According to Fernandez, Powell is expected to take the floor next week during one of the two games Brooklyn will play against the Suns in China. Powell has been doing full-contact practices on his way back from the knee tendinopathy that forced him to miss not only the start of training camp, but also his first Summer League.
One player who has drawn rave reviews in Nets training camp is Tyrese Martin, writes C.J. Holmes for the New York Daily News. “Tyrese has really been probably the most impressive player that I’ve seen on the team so far,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “He’s been consistently killing through scrimmages, through open runs. He’s a player that can slide in that point guard place but can also play the two. He can pass the ball. He’s been really impressive.” Ziaire Williams and Fernandez both praised Martin’s performance as well. While Martin, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, has no assurances for the coming season, he’s enjoying his time with the team. “I love these guys, I feel like they love me the same way,” he said. “It’s fun being here. This is the first coach and team that actually gave me an opportunity, and I feel like I’ve held up my end, and didn’t make them look crazy for giving me an opportunity. So, it would be fun to stay here and make this my home, for sure.”
VJ Edgecombe was drafted to a Sixers team with talented guards such as Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and, for now, Quentin Grimes, due to his athleticism, shooting flashes, and defensive potential. In Philadelphia’s opening two games of preseason, that defensive ability has shone through, writes DJ Siddiqi of RG. Head coach Nick Nurse offered praise for the rookie’s defensive efforts, saying he caused havoc, especially in the passing lanes. “I pride myself on defense,” said Edgecombe. “I’m definitely looking forward to all matchups, just because I know every night I’m going to have to guard a lot of great players, future Hall of Famers. I’m excited for every matchup to be honest.”

Nets Notes: Porter, Whitehead, Demin, Sharpe, More

October 3rd, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Michael Porter Jr., the Nets‘ biggest non-rookie offseason move, recently spoke about his struggles with injuries and how they impact his view of his career, saying, “Because of the injuries and stuff, I don’t know how much longer I really want to play,” and adding that his strategy is to take his career one year at a time.

He clarified those comments this week, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post (via Twitter).

“I wanna play as long as I can; it’s just easier in my head to be like, man, give it my all, everything I have this year and when the year’s over see where I’m at mentally and reevaluate,” he said. “But… I wanna play as long as my body allows me to.”

While the early stages of Porter’s career were beset by back injuries, he’s been able to hold up relatively well in recent years, writes CJ Holmes of the New York Daily News. Porter credits psychotherapist Nicole Sachs, who specializes in chronic pain and mind-body healing, for helping him get back on track physically.

“I didn’t realize how much of that actually stemmed from the mental side of things and the stress and all that,” Porter said. “So, once I kind of put all those pieces together, and I didn’t just pay attention to the physical side of things, I was able to have a very well-rounded approach to my rehab. And since then, I haven’t had any problems with my back.”

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Dariq Whitehead is entering a crucial season for his career, writes Lewis in an article for the New York Post. A top high school recruit who struggled in college largely due to injury, Whitehead is now on a roster that added five rookies, many of whom play on the perimeter like himself. The Nets will have to make some difficult roster decisions in the near future, which means this training camp is critical for Whitehead to make his case to stick around. For his part, the former first-round pick said that having his first fully healthy NBA offseason could make a huge difference. “For me, I feel like this was honestly my most important summer,” he said. “Not being able to do what I had needed to do the past three summers, being able to work out, work on my body. Just the difference I felt from the last game of last season to now and just being able to trust my body — how comfortable I am with just handling things that I’d done before — is just night and day.“
Head coach Jordi Fernandez was noncommittal when discussing lottery pick Egor Demin‘s status for the preseason, according to Lewis, who tweets that Fernandez simply said that Demin is “progressing well” from the plantar fascia tear that he sustained during the offseason. Lewis notes that fellow 2025 first-round pick Drake Powell will not play in the preseason opener Saturday as he looks to return from the knee injury that caused him to miss Summer League.
Day’Ron Sharpe has visibly trimmed down his weight this offseason, Holmes writes in a separate piece for the New York Daily News, adding that Fernandez has emphasized conditioning across the roster. “I’m trying to be able to play more minutes and not be gassed out if I’ve got to play more minutes, for consecutive games or whatever,” Sharpe said. “So just trying to get in the best shape I could be.” However, it’s not just bulk that Sharpe focused on this summer. “It was flexibility, I tried to get my flexible stretch in, doing pilates, stuff like that,” the big man said. After signing a two-year deal with the Nets, Sharpe will now look to carve out a more consistent role on a team that also employs Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, and newly-drafted 7’0″ big man Danny Wolf in the frontcourt.
Tyrese Martin had his team option picked up this summer, but he’s not taking anything for granted, given that his salary for 2025/26 remains non-guaranteed, per Lewis (via Twitter). “I’d never say that I’m actually on a solid footing,” the 26-year-old wing said. “Even when things are guaranteed, stuff’s still not guaranteed, especially in this business. So that’s just been my mindset all the way out and through.”

New York Notes: M. Brown, Brogdon, Hart, KAT, C. Thomas, Powell

October 1st, 2025 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Mike Brown made it clear on Tuesday that his philosophy regarding his minutes distribution for starters and rotation players won’t look the same as what the team got accustomed to under former coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).

“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games,” Brown said. “There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early. It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes.’ Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”

As Bondy observes, Thibodeau’s approach often felt like the exact opposite of the one laid out by Brown. The former Knicks coach frequently faced criticism due to the perception that he overextended his top players, particularly by leaving them on the court late in games in which the team held a big lead.

Brown, who worked as a Warriors assistant from 2016-22, pointed to the 2015/16 Golden State team that chased – and achieved – a regular season record of 73 wins but seemed to run out of gas at the end of that season. That prompted the Warriors to more closely monitor their stars’ workloads in subsequent years.

“It kind of caught up to them [in 2016]. And from that point on, that’s when [head coach Steve Kerr] was like, ‘I’m not going to chase it anymore,'” Brown said. “If we get it, we get it, but I got to make sure for Steph [Curry], if we want him to only play 35 minutes or average 35 minutes a game, then that’s what he’s going to average.”

Three Knicks players – Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby – placed among the NBA’s top six in minutes per game last season, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns also in the top 25.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon doesn’t just expect to make the Knicks‘ regular season roster — he believes he’ll earn a spot in the rotation as well, he tells Bondy (subscription required). “I view myself as having a skill set and being a versatile enough player to crack any rotation in the league,” Brogdon told Bondy. “So I expect to do that here as well.” A report from The Athletic indicated that New York is leaning toward keeping both Brogdon and Landry Shamet for the regular season, which would require the team to trade a player.
Hart referred to it as “stupidity” to blame Towns for the Knicks‘ Eastern Conference Finals loss to Indiana last spring, according to Bondy (subscription required). As Bondy notes, Towns received some criticism due to his defense, but Hart doesn’t view that criticism as warranted. “I thought [Towns] played well in the playoffs. I mean, hey, I think the only one who should get blamed is me,” Hart said. “I had a terrible — I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. With Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left.”
Nets guard Cam Thomas reported to camp looking leaner this fall, but he said the work he did on his body this offseason wasn’t related to his recurring hamstring issues last season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). “No, it’s just something I want to do. Just me being me,” Thomas said. “Not really related to the hammies. … If I have the weight on or not, I’ll still be doing the same thing. It doesn’t really change how you play, really. At the end of the day, it’s how you look and how you feel. I feel good. Feel good, look good and you play good.”
Rookie wing Drake Powell, one of the Nets‘ five first-round picks, has been cleared for full-contact work earlier this week, Lewis writes in a separate story. Powell, selected with the No. 22 pick, missed Summer League due to a left knee injury that surfaced during the pre-draft process.

Nets Notes: Thomas, Highsmith, Demin, Powell, Claxton

September 23rd, 2025 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cam Thomas signed his qualifying offer worth just under $6MM earlier this month after the restricted free agent couldn’t come to terms on a contract with the Nets. That suggests that Thomas won’t be on the roster beyond this season but general manager Sean Marks tried to downplay that aspect of the failed negotiations.

“It’s maybe the ugly part of the business when you can’t find a common ground,” Marks said, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “… I also don’t want to jump to conclusions because a common ground couldn’t be met this summer doesn’t mean he’s not a Net in the future or throughout the season.”

Thomas struck a similar tone with the media.

“I’d rather control my situation,” he said. “As a player, that’s the type of control you want in your situation…Just going to finish the year and we’ll see what happens. But I’m happy to be here to play in front of fans again.”

Thomas will now roll the dice on himself, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. That outcome excites the high-scoring guard, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter links).

“It was more pros to me taking the QO than taking any other deal,” Thomas said. “You want to keep the power that you have as a player as much as you can, as long as you can. So that was really the main deciding factor in taking the qualifying offer.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Forward Haywood Highsmith, acquired from the Heat in mid-August, tore the meniscus in his right knee during an offseason workout and underwent surgery to address the injury. He believes he’s on track to suit up by opening night, Lewis reports (Twitter link). “Right now, I’m six-and-a-half weeks out of surgery, so I’m doing jogging, spot-shooting, movements and workouts,” Highsmith said. “Not 100 percent. Light contact. And the plan for me is to be ready for the start of the regular season.”
Rookies Egor Demin and Drake Powell will be limited at the start of training camp because of injuries, according to C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News. Demin, the No. 8 pick of the draft, has been recovering from a plantar fascia tear suffered after Summer League. Powell, selected with the No. 22 pick, missed Summer League with left knee tendinopathy and has yet to be cleared for full 5-on-5 work. “I’m not a doctor, so it’s hard for me to even tell what’s going on with it,” Demin said. “So, for me, it’s just important to stay present and I’m trying to focus on whatever plan I have from the physicians, right, and whatever timing I have from them.”
Nic Claxton signed a four-year, $100MM contract to remain with the team last summer but the big man averaged fewer points, rebounds and blocks than in the previous season, in part due a nagging back injury. Claxton said his back is fine now and that he’s mentally and physically ready to go for camp, Lewis tweets.

Nets Could Have Youngest Roster In NBA History

September 21st, 2025 at 10:29am CST by Arthur Hill

After making history by becoming the first team ever to select five players in the first round of a draft, the Nets will begin the challenge of integrating all those new faces into the program when training camp opens this week, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf provide a young infusion of talent that offers hope to a rebuilding franchise.

“This is great. It was a unique opportunity for us, to be quite frank,” general Sean Marks said this summer. “We’ve never had five picks in one draft. To be able to draft all of them in a draft class we just saw, that was unique. That was something we want to take advantage of, especially in our build, where we see these young men fitting into our group and into our roster. So, it was about us capitalizing on the hand we were dealt.”

The top prospect in that group is Demin, a 6’9″ guard out of BYU who was chosen with the No. 8 pick. The 19-year-old Russian native provided a pleasant surprise with his shooting during Summer League, but his play-making was limited because he wasn’t featured exclusively in an on-ball role due to the number of lead guards on Brooklyn’s team in Las Vegas.

Traoré, Powell, Saraf and Wolf may see limited minutes as rookies, and it’s possible that all of them could spend time with the team’s G League affiliate in Long Island.

“The preseason with the team, getting to know everyone and making sure to know (everyone) basketball-wise (is huge),” Traoré said. “As a point guard, I’d say that it’s important to know these guys and know what they like and just start to build the team right way.”

Depending on how the final roster shakes out, Lewis notes that the Nets have a chance to eclipse the 2022/23 Rockets as the youngest team in NBA history. In addition to the five first-rounders, Brooklyn recently traded for 2023 first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, who turns 22 today. Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney are both 21, while Fanbo Zeng, who is expected to sign soon, is 22.

It presents another challenge for second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, who had the third-youngest team in the league last season.

“That’s definitely on me. Player development is going to be important. We’ve been very diligent,” Fernandez said. “The coaching staff has done a great job making our guys work, and those guys have improved. And we believe (the rookies) will do the same thing.”

Nets Notes: Demin, Summer League, Irving, Porter

July 25th, 2025 at 2:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

There are mixed reviews about Nets lottery pick Egor Demin after he shot the ball better than expected during Summer League, but didn’t get to show off his play-making skills in a mostly off-the-ball role, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Following his first taste of competition against NBA-level players, the 19-year-old rookie’s takeaway is that he needs to get stronger.

“For me there was a lot of physicality these past couple of weeks, probably even more in the practices with my own teammates where the level of competitiveness is super high — probably even higher than in the games, because everybody wants to make each other better on the practices,” Demin said.

There were questions about Demin’s outside shot following his lone season at BYU, but he connected at 43.5% in Las Vegas on 7.7 attempts per game. However, he was barely used in the pick-and-roll and collected just four assists in Summer League along with nine turnovers. Lewis cites concerns about his lack of athleticism to separate from defenders and weaknesses with his dribble that allow smaller opponents to bother him.

Summer League coach Steve Hetzel also mentioned Demin’s issues with “physicality,” but expressed confidence that he’ll eventually overcome them.

“As a 19-year-old, there’s still a lot of room for his body to just fill out and grow,” Hetzel said. “And you’re going to see a massive change from Year 1 to Year 2 in his strength and how he plays. He has such a good frame, he’s 6-foot-9. So there’s no worry. It’s just everybody has a level of patience for allowing him to grow.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

The Nets’ other first-round picks had flashes of success in Las Vegas, Lewis adds in a separate story. Nolan Traore displayed a strong first step and an ability to get by defenders, but he didn’t finish well at the rim. Ben Saraf showed a good understanding of the game and has the size to fit in at the wing, but he didn’t ease any of the concerns about his jumper. Danny Wolf got off to a rough start, but eventually showed off his passing skills and his ability to stretch defenses. Drake Powell, the team’s other first-round pick, didn’t participate in Summer League due to a knee injury.
Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts on the failed experiment in Brooklyn during a recent appearance on the Mind the Game podcast (Twitter link), Lewis relays in another piece. Irving said he regrets not doing more research on the Nets before signing with them in 2019. “I wish I would’ve handled the business better and got a chance to know them first, ask them questions, ‘Hey, what’s the future like?’ Instead of just committing blindly,” he said. “I didn’t have much power going in there. I couldn’t say who we could get and who we could not get. I couldn’t hire the coach. You guys knew my opinion on the head coach at the time.”
After being acquired in a trade with Denver, Michael Porter Jr. compiled a video blog of his first experiences with the Nets. It includes his impressions of the practice facility and a workout with team trainers.

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