The Brooklyn Nets raised eyebrows when they selected five players in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. It was the first time in NBA history that a team had drafted five players in the opening round, and to say there is a lot of youth on that roster would be an understatement. We asked Michael Porter Jr. about his message for all the rookies before the Nets’ first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at the Venetian Arena in Macau, and he sang their praises.
“These guys are very professional in the way they carry themselves,” Porter said. “They seem very poised and ready to play. So, I mean, I’m just here to help. Kinda show them what it takes to win. Show them the habits it takes to get better every day. But they’ve been great. They came in with a level of professionalism that is beyond their years.”
Michael Porter Jr. has has been very impressed by the @BrooklynNets‘ rookies.
“They came in with a level of professionalism that is beyond their years.” pic.twitter.com/F3unfyfSE1
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) October 9, 2025
The Nets selected Egor Demin eighth, Nolan Traore 19th, Drake Powell 22nd, Ben Saraf 26th, and Danny Wolf 27th. You had imagined at least one or two of those picks would be traded, but general manager Sean Marks thought otherwise.
Marks also interestingly chose to draft three point guards in Demin, Traore, and Saraf. Powell is also a guard, with the 7’0″ Wolf being the odd man out. League executives and agents didn’t think too highly of the selections either, and time will tell if the Nets hit the jackpot.
We saw three of those five first-rounders in action in the Nets’ first preseason game against Hapoel Jerusalem. Saraf was the only one to start, and he finished the night with nine points (4-6 FG) and six assists. Traore put up seven points (2-6 FG), two rebounds, and two assists off the bench, while Wolf had five points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Demin is the most highly thought of among this group, but he missed the game due to a plantar fascia tear. As for Powell, he has been dealing with left knee tendinopathy.
That game was also Porter’s first as a Net after the Denver Nuggets traded him in the offseason. The 27-year-old had 13 points (5-9 FG), five rebounds, four assists, and one steal on the night.
Porter has seen a big change in his role with this trade. He was the third option with the Nuggets behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and could well end up being the first option for the Nets. He has spoken about becoming the focal point of the Nets’ offense, and it will be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts to the role.
A Nets executive reportedly thinks Porter could challenge for the scoring title in 2026, and that would be quite a jump. He put up 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Nuggets in 2024-25. We’ll find out soon enough if that prediction ends up being on point.
