Nets invest in Ben Saraf's burgeoning talent. Increased minutes reveal defensive grit, passing flair, and competitive fire, hinting at a future cornerstone.
The Brooklyn Nets are using the final stretch of the season to develop their young players, including rookie guard Ben Saraf, who they believe fits the franchise's goals moving forward.
Saraf is Brooklyn's 26th pick from last year's draft, and he is making the most of his recent uptick in minutes. He's hovered around 18 minutes most of the season, excluding November.
The rookie averaged 11 minutes, spending time with the G-League affiliate, Long Island Nets, and suffered an ankle injury.
Now, coach Jordi Fernández has ballooned the young guard's minutes to over 20 in March, and he's played 30 minutes to start April. As he continues to get more playing time, Saraf shows the skills that stood out to the organization last June.
"Things that stood out to us prior to Ben getting here was his defense and how he plays the game," general manager Sean Marks said in Episode 10 of "Nets Generation." "(He's)a very good passer. I think he's looking for consistency, but overall, I think his IQ -- he's a fierce competitor. He's tough as nails."
Saraf stands tall at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-8.75 wingspan, which allows Fernandez to utilize his rookie as a point-of-attack defender on the perimeter and fight in the post against bigger matchups.
His wingspan has played a significant role in averaging a steal in March and April.
Saraf has shown flashes of being a good passer, averaging four assists last month and three this month. However, he is turnover-prone at times, especially in the pick-and-roll, trying to force a pass through a tight window.
His efficiency in the pick-and-roll game is something Fernández noted as an area of improvement, but the sheer amount of games played in a season will help the young guard improve.
"The challenge in the NBA when you're that young, 19, you've never played this amount of games, and the cadence of games is like, 'They keep coming,'" Fernández said. "Playing pick and roll, making the right decisions, playing off two feet, all those things that help him be efficient."
Saraf can use his quick first step to blow by defenders hit by an incoming screen to get downhill and attack the rim, or put his defender in jail with his hip, allowing the defense to react and he makes his next read.
Alongside becoming more efficient and decisive in the pick-and-roll game, the next step is for him to become a respectable three-point shooter.
Saraf is shooting 21.1 percent from 3-point range on 1.9 attempts per game. His scoring mainly comes from aggressive drives to the rim, ending in dunks or using the defender's momentum to counter with a spin move or euro step.
Becoming a decent 3-point shooter opens up many avenues for Saraf to score and improve his playmaking with increased defensive attention.
As the season inches toward its end, Brooklyn is prioritizing Saraf's development to become the player they believe can help the organization accomplish their future goals.
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