Nets Should Have Leaned Into Youth in Home Loss to Hawks

The Brooklyn Nets are an expected 0-5 to start the NBA season after a 117-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, for better or worse. The goal for the team this season was clear: set itself up for a star in the 2026 NBA Draft, and develop what it already has. There's no legitimate reason why the Nets would and should compete for the postseason.

One of those two goals has been hit through five games. Still winless, Brooklyn is clearly one of, if not the worst, teams in the league. The team's defensive rating (129.1) ranks dead last in the NBA, losing games by an average of 14 points.

However, last night's loss to the Hawks was disappointing in the sense that fans didn't gain anything from it. Typically, a rebuilding team can at least have takeaways on the young core. But it felt like we didn't see much of the rookies.

Part of that is because three of the five first-round picks from this year's draft were assigned to the G League. Nolan Traore, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf were designated to the Long Island Nets a few days ago, but it was expected. Brooklyn's general manager, Sean Marks, spoke about all of the rookies being able to develop in the G League this season.

However, that still left Egor Demin and Ben Saraf to get heavy rotation minutes against Atlanta. Demin, the team's lottery selection, had two solid performances to start the regular season, but his minutes have decreased since then. Last night, the 19-year-old played just 16 minutes, tallying four points, three assists and a steal while shooting 1-for-6 from the field.

Saraf, the No. 26 pick in the 2025 draft, received just 12 minutes of action, shooting 0-2 from the field with zero points, two rebounds and one assist.

The lack of production is concerning, but at the same time, how are these players supposed to develop in limited opportunities? Sure, Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas had impressive nights, combining for 69 points and 22 rebounds, but the goal isn't to push for the postseason nor develop veterans.

It may look ugly for a while, but Jordi Fernandez needs to prioritize minutes for Demin, Saraf and the rest of the rookies when healthy.

It's important to balance that with veteran playing time to boost trade value and the overall product, but when your two most promising young assets (outside of Cam Thomas) have the fewest minutes on the team, that's a concern.