Nets' Ben Saraf is Taking Advantage of More Opportunities in Rookie Season

Brooklyn's late first-round draft pick has been taking advantage of opportunities, on full display despite a loss in Golden State on Wednesday.

Mar 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Saraf (77) drives down the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

A few months ago, Ben Saraf was becoming an afterthought in the Brooklyn Nets' 2025 NBA Draft class. Out of the five rookies, the No. 26 overall pick was struggling the most, shooting with inefficiency and looking uncomfortable in the team's offense.

Fast forward to late March, and Saraf is one of the few who are contributing at a consistent level for the Nets.

Brooklyn has expanded its rotation, giving more of the youth opportunities to develop. The Israeli point guard has taken full advantage of the situation over the last two and a half weeks.

Saraf is averaging 12.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals over his last eight games, hitting double-digit scoring in seven of those matchups. He most recently put up an impressive 14 points and seven assists despite a 109-106 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Saraf missed the go-ahead layup, but these are great learning experiences for the youngster. He's become way more comfortable in Jordi Fernández's offense, navigating the pick-and-roll while knowing when to attack and take control in the scoring department.

It's eerily similar to Nolan Traoré's breakout performances in February. The French floor general was the driving force at point guard, showing off three-level scoring and elite facilitation that garnered national attention. He was nominated for February Rookie of the Month in the Eastern Conference.

Now, with just nine games left in Brooklyn's season, Saraf has been the player rising to the occasion and giving fans a glimmer of hope for the future. To see a player who looked so raw at the beginning of the season, to now, shooting 43% from the field and 88% from the free-throw line in March on more attempts, is extremely promising.

The Nets aren't in the department of trying to win; losing is incentivized to garner the best odds possible at the No. 1 overall pick in 2026. This stretch has been so important, not only that, but the development of the young core. With Michael Porter Jr., Egor Dёmin, Day'Ron Sharpe and other key rotation players sidelined, Saraf will have even more opportunities over the next two and a half weeks.

Brooklyn will wrap up its West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday before returning to Barclays Center for a six-game home stand. Keep an eye on Saraf and the other rookies as their first NBA seasons wind down.