Ben Saraf Is Stepping Up His Game in the German BBL Playoffs

Late first-round picks are seldom controversial. Debates about these prospects are usually saved for the trenches of the NBA Draft community, and thus, Ben Saraf's up-and-down play and efficiency struggle with Ratiopharm Ulm this season haven't faced the scrutiny that, say, Nolan Traore's has. Afterall, Saraf only came close to sniffing lottery territory about a year ago when he dominated for Israel in European youth competitions.

Saraf parlayed that strong performance into securing the starting point guard spot for German club Ratiopharm Ulm and while he has mostly handled lead ballhandler responsibilities well for an 18-year-old professional point guard (Saraf turned 19 in April of 2025) with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and 47/35/76 shooting splits in domestic play there were larger concerns about his ability to be a primary ballhandler and creator at the next level.

For starters, while on a smaller sample size, Saraf's efficiency dropped in the tougher EuroCup competition to 42/22/78 shooting splits. He's been a slightly below average pick and roll creator, slightly above average in isolation, and well below average in transition scenarios at 0.75, 0.89, and 1.02 points per possession, respectively, per Synergy Sports. His three-point shooting has largely been propped up by his accuracy as a spot-up shooter as well. He has shot 41 percent from deep on spot-up threes, and hasn't cleared the 25 percent mark in isolation, off ball screens, or in transition.

Given that Saraf primarily operates as a lead ballhandler, who looks to run a healthy amount of pick and roll to thrive, his struggles when it comes to creating his own perimeter offense are concerning. Currently, NBA teams would comfortably go under screens and or play drop coverage on him and let him fire away from deep as he hasn't proven himself capable of reliably making off the dribble three-pointers.

But in Ratiopharm Ulm's opening playoff series against ALBA Berlin, Saraf has thrown cold water on some of these concerns. He's averaging 15 points, five assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game on 52/50/95 shooting splits. ALBA is a EuroLeague team, a very bad one, that is making the move to FIBA's Basketball Champions League next season, but it still offers good competition for an NBA prospect. Saraf has also created two of the three pointers he's made this series off the dribble. It's a small sample size, but seeing him execute this level of shotmaking in playoff games is an encouraging sign for his upside overall.

Draft Digest currently has Saraf being selected by the Brooklyn Nets late in the first round, which would be a good landing spot for him. Head coach Jordi Fernandez will groom him well for an NBA future, and with the Nets likely continuing to embrace the tank for the 2025-26 season, Saraf should be given freedom to experiment, make mistakes, learn from them, and thus, improve as a player overall. His recent play to close the season should make teams confident in selecting him late in the first round.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.