Brooklyn Nets 2025-26 Season Player Grades: Ben Saraf

The Brooklyn Nets had five picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. After taking guards with each of their first three picks, the Nets shocked everyone when they took another guard with the 26th selection: Ben Saraf.

After playing professionally in Israel and Germany, Saraf came to the NBA as a relatively unknown talent. At 6-foot-6, he was a lengthy guard with perceived playmaking upside, but most draft analysts had no idea what to expect from him. Given those expectations, the Nets got what they signed up for with Saraf.

He appeared in 44 games last season, making 11 starts. After a long stretch with the G-League, he got consistent playing time as the season wound down. Saraf averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in just under 21 minutes a night.

Just like his fellow rookie guards Nolan Traore and Drake Powell, efficiency was an issue for Saraf. He shot a very poor 39.6% from the field and just 21.1% from behind the arc. The young Israeli was a pass-first guard, struggling to create his own shot. While he did a good job distributing the ball, scoring was a problem for him.

On defense, Saraf was a high-effort player, often relying on his basketball IQ instead of physical traits to make plays. He has ideal length, but suboptimal athleticism on that end of the court. He can hold his own against players of a similar skillset, but struggles against elite guards and wings. He'll have to buy into Jordi Fernandez's defense if he wants to have long-term success as a defender.

Saraf is never going to be a high-volume three-point shooter, but he'll need to be a bigger threat from behind the arc to make opposing defenses respect him. He's best suited as a slasher and passer, driving to the rim and kicking out to the open man. Just like on defense, he'll need to make his hay as a system player offensively.

The Nets certainly had a type of player they were looking for in last year's draft, and Saraf fits that mold perfectly—a pass-first guard who struggled to create his own shot efficiently as a rookie. Just like Traore and Powell, there's a ton of room for growth and development this offseason. But there's also a set ceiling.

Saraf won't be the star player on a championship team. But he can be a solid contributor if everything goes right. His growth as a player next season will be a very interesting thing to keep an eye on when the Nets return to the court.

Season grade: C