The Brooklyn Nets have moved three young players off the active roster and down to the Long Island Nets, assigning Joshua Jefferson, Ben Saraf and Drake Powell on Monday ahead of the G League season opener.
For Jefferson, Saraf and Powell, the trip to Long Island should mean something Brooklyn hasn’t been able to give them much of so far: real run. None of the three has logged extended minutes through the Nets’ first three games, though all three got into Sunday’s back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers. Powell played the most of the group, finishing with 12 minutes.
Long Island opens its season against the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ affiliate, at Novant Health Fieldhouse.
Saraf and Powell are both second-year guards and part of the Flatbush Five, but Brooklyn’s backcourt is crowded enough that the path upward is blocked for now. Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Keon Ellis are ahead of them in the pecking order.
They did flash early in the preseason. In the Nets’ Oct. 6 opener against Charlotte, Saraf posted eight points, two assists and two rebounds in 15 minutes, while Powell scored nine points on 4-for-9 shooting and added two rebounds and one assist.
The production didn’t hold up as preseason went on, and that’s not exactly what Brooklyn wanted to see from a team that has seven first-round picks over the last two seasons on rookie-scale deals.
Youth is supposed to be one of the Nets’ calling cards. The roster is built with enough young legs to handle back-to-backs, and the upside of that group could help shape whether general manager Sean Marks goes after a superstar.
Right now, Dëmin and Traoré look like the clear headliners among the young core, while the other three are still trying to catch up.
Jefferson’s assignment feels more routine for a rookie. Marks traded up into the first round to take him with the 28th pick, and the forward arrives with a reputation as a do-it-all piece.
At Iowa State, Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season as a senior. He missed all of preseason with back soreness, so the G League gives him a chance to get back on track and build rhythm.
His game fits the kind of role he can probably handle in Long Island. Jefferson was at his best with the ball in his hands in college, creating for himself and for others.
He also put together two triple-doubles, going 10-10-10 against West Virginia on Jan. 2 and 17-10-12 against UCF on Jan. 20.
That versatility should give Long Island a chance to sharpen his two-way impact while he works toward translating that production to the pro level.
For Saraf and Powell, the assignment is a test. They’ll need to show Coach Jordi Fernández they can earn rotation minutes. Jefferson, meanwhile, will develop away from the spotlight while Brooklyn keeps an eye on what he becomes next.
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