Ben Saraf knows the job in Brooklyn isn’t handed to anybody.
After an uneven rookie season with the Nets, the 20-year-old guard is heading toward training camp with a clear message for himself: earn the minutes, and make them count. Brooklyn spent a first-round pick on Saraf last summer, but the guard spot is crowded now, especially after the Nets added Mikel Brown Jr. via the 2026 NBA Draft.
“It was really important for me to prove to myself that I was capable, even if I had to take a step back. I wanted to stay mentally strong, and I think by the end of the season I was playing much better and had some good games,” Saraf said, per Joshua Halickman of The Jerusalem Post.
That improvement mattered, but it doesn’t guarantee anything moving forward. Saraf said the focus now is bigger than just surviving a rookie year.
“But the goal now is to start next season already playing a meaningful role with the team,” Saraf continued, per Halickman.
Saraf’s first NBA season gave Brooklyn a mixed snapshot of what he can bring. He flashed an ability to get downhill and attack the rim, but his shooting still has work to do. In 44 games, he averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 39.6% from the field and 21.1% from three.
The path to a bigger role won’t be simple. Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Nets are still rebuilding, which should create chances over the course of an 82-game schedule. Even so, Saraf is likely fighting for point guard minutes with Brown and Nolan Traore, and he may have to outplay both of them to win the starting job.
That competition got tougher with Brooklyn’s projected starting group including Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle, and center Day'Ron Sharpe.
Saraf did give the Nets something to think about during the summer circuit. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 37.3% from the floor and 33.3% from deep.
Jordi Fernandez will have decisions to make once the roster gets sorted out, especially after the team added Randle, Keon Ellis, and Mo Wagner. For Saraf, though, the task is straightforward: keep competing and force his way onto the floor.
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