The Nets made an NBA-record five first-round picks Wednesday night in the NBA draft, a risky draft gamble they hope will be the foundation of their rebuild.
If it pays off, it’s going to be because of passing, playmaking and processing.
Brooklyn took three international point guards — led by lottery pick Egor Demin — in the biggest first-round class in league history.
The Nets picked slick-passing Russian Egor Demin of BYU with the eighth-overall selection — their first lottery pick in 15 years — and followed that by tabbing athletic Frenchman Nolan Traoré of Saint-Quentin at No. 19.
Then came uber-athletic UNC wing Drake Powell 22nd, Israeli guard Ben Saraf 26th, and Michigan big man Danny Wolf, who played on Israel’s U-20 team, one pick later.
The common thread was the way they move the ball and read the game.
“That goes hand in hand with IQ and how they play the game,” Nets GM Sean Marks said. “Where we’re going with this is we’re trying to find a brand of basketball that not only translates to a competitive brand out there and it’s going to fit with the Brooklyn community, but it’s also where the NBA is going: guys who can play multiple positions, guard positions and make it hard on the defense.”
Some may see Demin as a reach, mocked to go 18th by Tankathon and ironically to the Nets by The Post and The Ringer — but at 19th overall. Traore had been mocked to the Nets 27th by Tankathon.
But both had been highly regarded, with Traoré a top-five prospect a year ago and Demin a projected top-10 pick earlier this season.
Now, they will share a backcourt in Brooklyn.
Egor Demin stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the No. 8 overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Brad Penner-Imagn Images
“I was playing all my life as a point guard, so I see myself as a point guard,” Demin said. “But I’m also willing to do whatever it takes for me to bring success to the team and impact the game in a good way. So if coach wants me to be a center, I’ll be a center, no problem with that. I just know I’m a playmaker, and no matter what position I’m playing or what spot I’m on the floor, I’m going to make plays.”
Demin is the biggest point guard in the class at 6-foot-9 and its best passer.
But his poor shooting is going to be the swing skill that determines his NBA future.
Adam Silver poses with Nolan Traoré after he was drafted as the No. 19 overall pick by the Nets during the 2025 NBA Draft. NBAE via Getty Images
He was averaging 13.3 points on .385 from deep before suffering a knee contusion and missing a month.
He hit just .235 after returning.
“Obviously, the passing is something I was always doing, and this is who I am, is what I’m trying to be. I believe in the game of basketball as a creative place where it’s like an art for me. And I want to play beautiful. I want to play pretty. I want to play patient,” Demin said. “For me, I have no doubt I’m going to be a solid shooter. And I see myself as a really good shooter in the future just because I know how much I put into this, how much I put in the work to become one for sure.”
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Traoré saw his stock fall this season but is an electric pick-and-roll attacker.
“I know [Demin] as a player, and I know he’s a really good player. He has a lot of potential, is big. He’s skilled,” Traoré said. “New York City is maybe the best city in the world. So, that’s really great. And the Brooklyn Nets is a really famous organization. We have a great coach, great front office. So, it’s a great place to grow, really great place to build something.”
Powell is one of the more athletic players in the class, and Wolf is a gifted passer for a big man, capable of playmaking out of the high post.
“Being in the green room, I didn’t know how long I’d have been sitting there for. I don’t know if I would’ve said this long, but it’s what happened, and it’s out of my control,” Wolf said. “And I ended up in a [good place]. I’m just going to use that as a chip on my shoulder, as a motivating factor.”
The Nets draft 36th in the second round Thursday.