Nets grades for every pick in historic 2025 NBA Draft

USA Today

14 hours ago

The Brooklyn Nets went into the 2025 NBA Draft with as many as six picks to use, including five in the first round after a multi-team trade prior to Wednesday. Heading into the Draft, Brooklyn was rumored to be a team that would be trying to move some of their picks given that bringing in five players would be a lot for the player development staff to handle.
However, the Nets not only went against the grain by not trading any of their first-round picks, they made history by using those picks on players that fit a specific mold for how Brooklyn wants to play. Under general manager Sean Marks and head coach Jordi Fernandez, it seems that the team wants to operate in a way where every player on the floor can handle and move the ball in an effective manner.
There is also an international feel to Brooklyn's draft class as three of the five players (Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, and Ben Saraf) were born outside of the United States. With that being said, here are the grades for all of the picks that the Nets made along with the final grade for the entire class as a whole now that the Draft is over with:
#8: Egor Demin, G, BYU
Demin was probably the most surprising pick that Brooklyn made as they took him with the eighth overall pick in the Draft despite the fact that most mock drafts had him being taken outside of the Lottery at the earliest. Not only that, but at the time that the Nets picked Demin, players like Duke center Khaman Maluach and South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles were still on the board.
As this pertains to Demin, Brooklyn did what it could to ensure they brought in the player that was considered the best passer in the class along with having the size to see over most guards at the next level. Demin has some concerns related to his shooting ability and decision-making with the ball in his hands, but at the very least, he should be able to effectively run the offense for Fernandez.
Grade: C
#19: Nolan Traore, G, France
Traore was the continuation of a theme that the Nets were using for this draft in the sense that they wanted as many ball-handlers on the team as possible, whether or not the players were polished yet. Traore doesn't have the positional size of someone like Demin, but the Frenchman has the burst necessary to get by most defenders, something that could open his game up in the NBA.
Traore has some questions to answer with regards to his game outside of handling the ball and passing it, such as his shooting and finishing at the rim when he does get a step on his defender. In the present age of basketball, the most effective point guards are the ones who can score and pass to reasonably-high degrees to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Traore has some work to do.
Grade: C+
#22: Drake Powell, G/F, UNC
Powell was an interesting pick for the Nets given that he broke the trend of Brooklyn taking players with some form of ball-handling in their future. That's not to say that Powell won't ever learn to make something happen with the ball in his hands, but as of now, he profiles to be a player who spends most of his time off the ball spreading the floor and defending on the other end.
What makes Powell an interesting prospect is some of his physical traits, such as the 7-foot wingspan in a 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame or the fact that he shot 37.0% from three-point range last season prior to posting a 43-inch vertical at the Combine. Powell is just 19-years-old and while his role at North Carolina was very limited, Fernandez and company will be trying to get as much out of him as possible given his tools.
Grade: B
#26: Ben Saraf, G, Israel
Saraf was a puzzling pick given that the Nets had already taken two players with the projection of being ball-handlers (Demin and Traore) and one player who would be on the wing (Powell), Saraf seemed more like a luxury than a necessity. Granted, Brooklyn is not in a position to worry about roster fit and Saraf at least has the makings of a player who could be the most natural playmaker in this class.
Saraf has great positional size (6-foot-6, 199 pounds), has experience playing professional basketball and excelling in that setting, and should be able to contribute right away as a passer and scorer. What will allow Saraf to reach his ceiling is if he is able to improve his shooting and defense to the point that he won't be a liability for Fernandez and the coaching staff.
Grade: C
#27: Danny Wolf, F, Michigan
Wolf was the fifth and last pick for the Nets in the first round and aside from his brother showing enough emotion for the both of them, the Michigan forward actually seemed like a fun pick. Wolf was consistent with the theme of being a guy who can make something with the ball in his hands, but he manages to do that in a 6-foot-11, 250-pound frame.
While Wolf showed his ability to be a big man that can run an offense, there are still questions about his fit at the NBA level, most notably his spot on the floor. Wolf is seemingly destined to play primarily at power forward given that he isn't that disruptive protecting the rim as a center, but also has concerns related to how consistent his shooting will be. Big men like Wolf are hard to come by, however.
Grade: C+
Conclusion
In the end, the Nets remain determined to take as many players that are able to make plays with the ball in his hands despite the fact that most of those players have questionable futures due to various flaws in their respective games. Demin, Traore, and Saraf all have to improve their shooting and/or defensive ability if they're going to be difference-makers while someone like Wolf will have to show that his versatility can translate to the next level.
Powell appears to be the player that is the closest to contributing on an NBA floor next season because his skillset lends itself to someone being able to shoot and play defense without much projection for either of those aspects. However, Powell did not have that big of a role in college so his ultimate question is whether he is still effective as a player once his role and usage are scaled up.
Brooklyn's draft was polarizing across the NBA landscape as most people did not like the fact that they took so many ball-handlers in the same draft while the minority praised the Nets for committing to a specific set of traits that they wanted to lean into. Marks and Fernandez will have to hope that these gambles on players that are merely projects at this point are able to develop to the point where they are capable NBA players.
Final grade: C-