What has happened to the five first-round picks the Nets selected all at once?

In the 2025 draft, the Nets made history by using all five of their first-round picks to add five rookies to their roster, making the team even younger.

Traditionally, a team cannot develop multiple newcomers simultaneously, and allocating playing time becomes a problem. But the Nets actually did it—even among their five rookies, four are guards, and three of them are European guards. After the draft night, many were waiting to see the Nets fail. Now, as the season nears its end, how have these five rookies performed?

Jemin, the Russian guard selected with the eighth pick, naturally became the Nets' focal point for development. Now, Jemin's season has ended due to plantar fasciitis, allowing his rookie year to be summarized. Notably, Jemin missed some games earlier during training camp and preseason due to a plantar fascia tear, which seems to be a persistent issue for him.

In 52 games played, Jemin started 45, averaging 25.2 minutes per game with 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, while shooting 38.5% from three-point range. Before the draft, Jemin's main appeal was being a 6'9" tall guard with excellent court vision, though his three-point shooting was weaker.

Surprisingly, three-point shooting became Jemin's standout feature in his rookie season. He made threes in 34 consecutive games, setting an NBA rookie record—even the highly touted Knupel this year hasn't hit threes for so many consecutive games.

Jemin is among the top three-point shooters in this rookie class. He made 4 of 6 threes in his debut and later had multiple games with 5+ threes. His issue might be that he loves shooting threes too much: he only attempted 88 shots near the rim but 320 beyond the arc, rarely shooting from mid-range. Such an unusual shot distribution is questionable.

However, his playmaking still needs improvement. After being called the "Russian Magician," averaging 3.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers is underwhelming. The Nets didn't pick him at No. 8 for his three-point shooting.

At the 19th pick, the Nets selected French guard Traoré. Traoré is highly explosive and among the fastest rookies from last year.

Traoré has played 48 games, starting 25, averaging 22.2 minutes with 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, shooting 37.3% overall and 32.7% from three. His speed and driving skills are good, but his finishing near the rim is poor, leading to low overall efficiency.

Interestingly, the Nets didn't emphasize his passing initially, but his passing seems better than Jemin's. In February, Traoré had a breakout stretch, averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 assists, totaling 67 assists—ranking first among all rookies.

Overall, Traoré deserves his first-round status. His inefficiency as a rookie is forgivable, and he will need to improve his mid-range and long-range shooting in the future.

At the 22nd pick, the Nets selected American guard Powell. He has played 54 games, starting 16, averaging 19.7 minutes with 6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, shooting 41.3% overall and 28.4% from three.

Although listed as a guard, Powell is more of a wing swingman with potential as a 3-D player. His draft report noted good three-point ability, but his shooting this season has been poor. Powell was a top five-star recruit in high school but declined in college, and now his development looks average.

At the 26th pick, the Nets selected Israeli tall guard Ben Saraf. This pick was puzzling—the Nets like guards, but they chose one overlapping with eighth-pick Jemin. Saraf's three-point shooting was weak in Germany and has collapsed in the NBA.

So far, Saraf has only played 34 games. After starting 5 games early in the season, he was benched. He averages 6.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, with his three-point percentage plummeting to 19.4%, showing he can't shoot.

In a recent game against the Kings, the fully tanking Nets let him score a career-high 22 points, but he shot 0 for 6 from three. Overall, he appears the bleakest among the five rookies, with little future promise.

The last rookie, Wolf at the 27th pick, is finally an interior player, though his style is perimeter-oriented. Fans who watched the China games might remember this white big man who can shoot threes and handle the ball.

As a late first-round pick, Wolf has had decent opportunities with the Nets, playing 57 games and starting 15, averaging 20.8 minutes with 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, but his three-point percentage is only 32.2%. In the G League, Wolf is a star, averaging 20+ points and 10+ rebounds—a tanking asset who excels against weaker competition but lacks high upside.

Overall, these five lottery picks by the Nets have mostly revealed "thanks" rather than prizes. Finding a future core from these five is unlikely; having one or two become starter-level rotation players would already be challenging.

The Nets know this, so they continue tanking aggressively. Their record is third-worst, right on the "top pick line." The bottom three teams are all losing, and the Nets recently benched capable players to give these rookies ample development time.

Even if the Nets land a top-three pick or the first overall pick this year, ending their rebuild will likely take a long time.