Ben Saraf isn’t just thinking about carving out a bigger role for himself this season. He’s looking at the Nets’ season through a wider lens, and he made that clear when he talked about what Brooklyn needs to become.
“I think this year we want to win as many games as possible. Last season, there were more opportunities for the younger players, and I think that really helped all of us,” Saraf said, per Joshua Halickman of The Jerusalem Post.
That’s the balance for Saraf entering his second NBA season: prove he deserves the minutes, but do it in a year where the bar is no longer simply development. Brooklyn wants results now, and Saraf knows the pecking order will be dictated by who helps most on that front.
“But this year it’s about winning. Whoever helps the team win is going to play.
So for me, it’s about earning minutes, earning the coaching staff’s trust and being as impactful as I can,” Saraf continued before providing an even more lofty goal for Brooklyn. “Making the playoffs is definitely a dream.
I think this year our team has been built well, and I really believe we can do it. That’s our goal.”
Saraf’s first season gave the Nets a mixed but useful look at what he can be. The 20-year-old averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 44 games, while shooting 39.6% from the field and 21.1% from three. He also flashed a bit more in Brooklyn’s summer circuit, where he put up 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game and shot 37.3% overall with a 33.3% mark from deep.
Now the competition gets tighter. Brooklyn used the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Mikel Brown Jr., which puts Saraf in a battle with Brown and Nolan Traore for point guard minutes.
Training camp later this month will be the first chance for Saraf to start turning those goals into something tangible. For him, the mission is straightforward: win trust, win minutes, and help the Nets win games.
In Other News...
Nets 2021 Big Three Debate Just Got More Painful
P.J. Tuckers memories of the 2021 playoffs added another layer to one of the Nets most painful what-ifs. The former Bucks forward, who spent that postseason defending Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, said the trio had real chemistry when he saw them on the floor together, even if injuries kept them from logging much time as a group.
For Brooklyn, that kind of perspective only sharpens the lingering debate over what might have been. The star trio never got enough uninterrupted runway to fully answer the biggest questions around the partnership, and Tuckers comments serve as a reminder that the talent was there, even if the health never was. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Porter Jr's Future Just Became A Real Nets Decision
Michael Porter Jr. has quickly become one of the more interesting roster decisions on the Nets docket. After arriving with a contract that runs through next season, he is now eligible for an extension, and Brooklyn has a chance to decide whether he fits into its longer-term plans or simply remains a valuable piece on a shorter timeline. He was coming off a strong statistical season and entered this year ranked 15th among small forwards, which only adds to the appeal of keeping him around if the price is right.
So far, though, there has been no extension agreement, and that leaves the Nets with a real choice to make as the calendar moves toward February. If the sides cannot find common ground, Brooklyn may have to weigh the possibility of moving him before the trade deadline rather than letting the situation linger. For a team still shaping its next chapter, Porters future is becoming one of the clearer tests of how aggressively the front office wants to balance present value with long-term flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
How The Nets Let A Franchise What-If Slip Away
The 1996 NBA Draft remains one of the sharpest what-ifs in Nets history, a night when New Jersey briefly had Kobe Bryant in its sights before the board shifted toward Kerry Kittles. John Caliparis team had done the work on Bryant, but the final call came after Bryants agent, Arn Tellem, made it clear Bryant would not play for the Nets if they took him. The result sent Bryant on to Los Angeles, where he became a Hall of Famer and turned a near miss into one of the leagues enduring draft stories.
For Brooklyn, the regret is not just about passing on a future icon, but about how rare those chances are for a franchise that has not drafted a player of Bryants caliber since. Every rebuilding plan eventually comes back to nights like that one, when the difference between a solid pick and a transcendent one can echo for decades. In the Nets case, the memory still hangs over the franchise as a reminder of how close they came to changing their history in one decision. [Read more 🡒]