Ben Saraf’s recent uptick in play hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sent to Long Island for rhythm and reps after slipping out of the Nets’ rotation, the rookie guard returned looking sharper, and head coach Jordi Fernández said the stint clearly elevated him.
“He went and played with Long Island and played like an NBA player,” Fernández said. “And once we had an opportunity to play him, he played again and played great.”
Saraf has looked increasingly comfortable since returning, flashing the pace, confidence and downhill playmaking Brooklyn hoped to tap into when the season began. Fernández acknowledged that Saraf’s turnovers have been a talking point — the 19-year-old has eight turnovers to 11 assists over his last three appearances entering Thursday — but he stressed the responsibility isn’t his alone.
“I tell the guys turnovers are going to happen, and that’s fine,” Fernández said. “Fourteen of them are mine. As long as your ratio is good, if you turn it over four times you have to give me eight assists.”
Fernández’s message to Saraf is about freedom layered with discipline: play loose, read the floor, understand coverages and spacing, and keep growing. What he values most from Saraf and the other young players is their response.
“They care, and they want to do better,” Fernández said. “That’s what I respect.”
NEXT STEPS
Egor Dëmin’s point guard education in the NBA has come with expected growing pains, but Fernández believes the rookie’s doing just fine at this stage. Through his first 19 appearances, Dëmin is averaging 3.6 assists to 1.7 turnovers, a sturdy two-to-one ratio that Fernández sees as both a foundation and a challenge.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Fernández said. “Two to one is very good. The next step is can he get to three to one. And I think he can because he’s one of the best at finding the 3-point line in the NBA.”
For Fernández, the next phase of Dëmin’s development is about deepening his reads. The rookie has excelled at locating shooters, especially on drive-and-kick actions, but the staff wants him to expand that awareness when he gets into the paint. That means recognizing drop coverage, manipulating two-on-ones and delivering lobs or pocket passes to rollers with more consistency.
“Right now, he’s done a great job finding the 3,” Fernández said. “Now the next step is reading those next actions, all the cuts, the rolls, the two-on-ones.”
He pointed to Dëmin’s back-to-back left-corner assists to Noah Clowney on Wednesday as examples of simple but precise plays that lift the offense. It’s that blend of aggression and accuracy he wants to see become routine.
“I’ll keep being hard on him because I have high expectations, and I know he can do it,” Fernández said.
MANN RETURNS
Terance Mann returned to the starting lineup Thursday against the Utah Jazz after missing the past two games because of right rib soreness, giving the Nets a needed playmaking presence on a night when they were without Michael Porter Jr. (lower back injury management) and Drake Powell (left knee injury management). The veteran forward has averaged 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists over his last five appearances.
Mann’s absence earlier in the week opened the door for expanded minutes for Tyrese Martin and rookies Powell, Saraf and Danny Wolf. Mann averaged 11.9 points on 52.9% shooting across Brooklyn’s first eight games, but his production has dipped to 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 35.8% shooting in his last 11 appearances.
