Nets' Rookie Class Starting to Show Signs of Development

From the perspective of a rebuild, the Brooklyn Nets are in a pretty good spot right now. With a 4-16 record, their wins have come few and far between, but when they do pull off a victory, it's fun. At the same time, the 16 losses put them up there in the lottery standings.

The goals for the season are to land a top draft pick in 2026 and develop the rookies the team already has. Brooklyn drafted a record five players in the top 30 this year, but not many of them got big opportunities off the bat.

Danny Wolf, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf have spent significant time with the Nets' G League affiliate in Long Island, while Egor Demin and Drake Powell have been in Brooklyn. The three have all had impressive performances, but now Saraf and Wolf are with the Nets and have shown even more in the NBA.

Wolf is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists over his last three games. His biggest performance of the season came on Nov. 29 in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, when he put up a career-high 22 points, four rebounds and four assists on 8-for-16 shooting.

Saraf hasn't been as impressive in the scoring department, but his passing has been on display, showcasing potential as the Nets' full-time floor general. The Israeli guard was also impressive in Milwaukee, recording 10 points and seven assists in 29 minutes.

While Traore remains in the G League, he's still putting up solid numbers, averaging 16.8 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Many fans are calling for Demin and Powell to receive more minutes in Brooklyn, as they have been with the team all season long. Demin, the Nets' lottery pick, has shown a lot in terms of three-point shooting and playmaking, being an all-around contributor next to Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton.

Powell, on the other hand, has been tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player on most nights. He has had a few multi-steal games, while occassionally hitting double digits in the scoring department.

Now that the rookies are starting to pick up the production, we're starting to see Brooklyn's development show positive signs for the future. The Nets have a long way to go with this group, but with a few key performances from the young core, it is an excellent sign of things to come.