Nets Head Coach Jordi Fernandez on Ben Saraf: 'He Will Be a Great NBA Player'

Ben Saraf exploded for 40 points in a recent G-League game, showcasing excellent range on his jump shot and an amazing ability to finish at the rim and set his teammates up for clean looks.

“The shots were falling. I was able to get to the rim and make good decisions. I was really in the flow,” Saraf said. “The mindset [in the G League] is the same mindset. Just to go there and play hard. It’s the same principles as here, just more reps. So I’m trying to take advantage of it.”

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was certainly aware of the rookie's recent performance, suggesting his performance could've gone even better had a few more things gone his way.

“He was composed the whole game,” Fernandez said. "Obviously, he scored 40 points, but he looked like an NBA player out there. We watched the game and how confident he was, how he shot the ball, how he shot the three, and his just finishes around the rim. If he would have finished a few more at the rim, he could have scored 50.

“And those are the challenges. He’s really hard on himself. And that’s why Ben is so great, and he will be a great NBA player. But I was happy that he helped the team compete and get a win. That’s got to be the main purpose, whether you play here with the Nets or in Long Island, is you want to help the team compete and then come out with a win.”

Saraf impressed Fernandez and several of his teammates at the beginning of the season, as he was named the Nets' starting point guard on opening night.

Though Saraf has since been demoted due to injuries and some of the growing pains that naturally come with adjusting to NBA life, he still has a ton of unteachable qualities that he's acquired from playing professional basketball overseas.

“When you first get to the NBA, it takes a minute to not look at these superstars as you did when you were growing up watching them,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “Overseas players, it’s a little different, because they’ve been playing pro so long. I noticed it in Ben, talking to coaches about Ben, just how he is in open gym, just how impressive he’s been to me. He’s 19, and just his level of professionalism, just walking around, is well beyond his years.”