Brooklyn's rookie returned to action on Saturday and managed to give solid offense despite the loss.
Saturday night brought another disheartening loss for the Brooklyn Nets, as they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in a 116-99 road defeat. Early in the rebuild, the Nets have rattled off just three wins to 16 losses, clearly showing they're a bottom-feeder en route to a high draft pick in 2026.
All Brooklyn can do is develop the talent it already has, most notably the team's five first-round rookies. While Egor Demin has received the most time among those players, the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was injured for Saturday's game in Milwaukee. This opened up more minutes for Ben Saraf, who made his return from a left ankle sprain. The Israeli guard did not disappoint, posting 10 points, seven rebounds and a block in 29 minutes of action. Saraf was an efficient shooter and playmaker, going 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-4 from three.The 19-year-old's three turnovers were a little concerning, but for the most part, this was an impressive performance for a rookie making his return from injury. One of Saraf's highlights included a turnover he committed, but made up for with a chase-down rejection on the other end. The 6-foot-6 point guard did a great job of penetrating the defense and drawing opponents, being able to find open shooters on the wings. Saraf had a few assists to fellow rookie Danny Wolf, who impressed even more with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and a block while shooting 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep. Saraf has been a great floor general for the Nets in the eight games that he has played. Although averaging just 4.1 points, he has been able to post 3.0 assists in 15.8 minutes of game time. Something to watch as the season carries on is how much time the rookies get in the NBA. Saraf, Wolf and Traore have spent plenty of time with the Nets' G League affiliate in Long Island, while Demin and Drake Powell have played a lot in Brooklyn. They haven't necessarily received big minutes in each game, but we recently witnessed Demin take full advantage of an opportunity with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Powell has also had a few impressive performances on both sides of the ball. The hope is that Saraf can continue to initiate the offense and be the floor general Brooklyn needs. The Nets have playmakers, but few command sets from the jump like the No. 26 pick in the draft.
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