Ben Saraf’s Strong Start Gives Nets' HC Jordi Fernandez Flexibility With Egor Demin

The Brooklyn Nets entered the 2025 NBA Draft in dire need of some backcourt help, and at the time, it seemed as if they had grabbed the best facilitator in the class. 6-foot-9 guard Egor Demin out of BYU was meant to be the leader of Jordi Fernandez's offense, but that initial plan could soon change.

And it's because of another one of Brooklyn's first-round choices, Ben Saraf.

Saraf, 19, has been very impressive as a distributor thus far. He dished out 11 assists in the Nets' 111-109 win over the Phoenix Suns yesterday, proving that he can run Fernandez's scoring attack. While it would be nice to see Demin heal up and eventually get some preseason reps as a true point guard, if Saraf's play continues, the former may be better suited elsewhere in the rotation.

First, much of Demin's attractiveness came from his height. He's a mismatch essentially regardless of who is guarding him. But Saraf isn't just some undersized guard. Saraf is 6-foot-6 and still brings an unusual level of height to the position. If Brooklyn has to sacrifice three inches at the point guard spot to make all its pieces fit, then that is what must be done.

Second, Demin's positional versatility has the chance to be great. Despite concerns surrounding his ability to hit from beyond the arc, Demin appeared to be a marksman in summer league, and if that translates beyond the Las Vegas festivities, there's really no reason Fernandez wouldn't be able to play the eighth-overall pick anywhere one through four.

For those worried about how all five of the draft picks fit together, the harmony is beginning to reveal itself. We now know Saraf can play either guard spot, Demin's size and skill allow for him to be moved around, and when neither of the two is manning the one when they're on the floor, that opens up room for Nolan Traore, the 19th overall pick.

At first glance, it seemed as if Brooklyn was keen on just taking fliers on multiple guards and hoping one of them stuck. Instead, now just two preseason games in, it appears there's a realistic scenario where all three (and possibly even four, depending on what you classify Drake Powell as) guards could share the court at the same time.

Most had a good feeling on Demin. But the emergence of Saraf could change the entire complexity of Brooklyn's first draft class post-rebuild commitment.