Is Playmaking the Brooklyn Nets Biggest Weakness?

Last season, the Brooklyn Nets saw two different veteran playmakers come and go.

First, they had Dennis Schroeder, who led the team in assists before being traded to the Golden State Warriors in December. Shortly after Schroeder's departure, D'Angelo Russell returned to the Nets later in the month, keeping the ship afloat as Brooklyn's primary. Even with both of these players serving as Brooklyn's starting point guard at a point, Ben Simmons still managed to lead the team in total assists (229) despite only appearing in 33 games with the Nets.

With both veterans gone, the Nets will be searching for a new floor general to handle the ball and set up the team’s top scorers next season. In a recent article, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton described playmaking as the team’s ‘biggest roster hole’ heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season.

"After finishing with the NBA's sixth-worst record last season, the Nets don't seem to be taking any chances ahead of a first-round swap in 2027," Pelton said. "Inexperienced ball handlers are the easiest way to lose games, and after letting D'Angelo Russell walk in free agency, Brooklyn's point guard rotation will feature teenage rookies Egor Demin and Nolan Traore."

*Although he wasn't mentioned in the article, No.26 overall pick Ben Saraf could possibly step in as the Nets' top playmaker early on while the teams more inexperienced rookies adjust to the league.*

Unlike Brooklyn's four other rookies, Saraf has already played three seasons of professional basketball overseas. During his most recent season with Ratiopharm Ulm, he led the team with 4.6 assists per game and was their second-leading scorer with 12.8 points per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. During the 2024 U18 EuroBasket Championship, he led the tournament in scoring and steals while averaging 28.1 points and four steals per game..

Another rookie with surprisingly impressive distributing ability is Danny Wolf, the player who Brooklyn selected just a spot after Saraf at No.27. Last season, Wolf was Michigan's second-leading scorer (13.2 points per game) and passer (3.6 assists per game) while leading the Big Ten with 9.7 rebounds per game. He even proved to be capable of leading the pick-and-roll, forming strong chemistry with fellow big man Vladislav Goldin.

*During an episode of the Nets' SCOUT YouTube series, a member of Brooklyn's scouting department is shown raving about Wolf's playmaking ability*

“I’ve never seen seven feet and 250 move like that,” the scout said. “He is a primary ball-handler. It's not about what he can do as an individual player, but more what he can do for the group.”