Who Handles the Ball for the Nets After a Summer of Change?

As the 2025-26 NBA season approaches, the Brooklyn Nets' success will depend on the development of their young players.

While an incredibly athletic young player may be able to make an early impact as a scorer or as a high-effort defender, stepping into the NBA and becoming an effective, reliable ball-handler might be the most difficult transition for a rookie.

With most of the team’s regular playmakers departing in the offseason, at least one rookie, and hopefully a couple, will have to step into that role next season. According to ESPN’s Zach Kram, Brooklyn's lack of backcourt experience could lead to some growing pains.

“According to GeniusIQ tracking data, six players averaged at least three minutes of possession in their games with Brooklyn this past season. Five of those six are no longer with the organization; neither is Cameron Johnson , who ranked second on the team in points,” Kram said. "Michael Porter Jr. should fill some of Johnson's shot making duties, but he's not much of an initiator, which means there will be ballhandling opportunities available to the Nets' young backcourt. Expect lots of rookie growing pains, after Brooklyn drafted a record five first-rounders. “

Among the rookies, Ben Saraf sticks out as a relatively experienced young player who could take on the role of the team's top ball-handler sooner rather than later. 

During the Las Vegas Summer League, Saraf led the team with 3.7 assists per game while serving as the main initiator for Brooklyn’s offense. He also already has three years of experience at the professional level. Most recently, he helped lead Ratiopharm Ulm to the Basketball Bundesliga Finals while leading the team with 4.6 assists and also being their second-leading scorer with 12.8 points per game.

He also had some impressive success while playing in Israel, where he was named the Israeli Basketball National League's Sixth Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year during the 2022-2023 season and the Israeli Basketball Premier League’s Rising Star for the 2023-2024 campaign.

One veteran who could help with ball-handling duties is recent acquisition Terance Mann. While he may not be a traditional point guard, it is one of his listed positions, and he’s showcased decent distributing ability throughout his career

Kram also mentioned the possibility of Cam Thomas returning, and what his usage rate would look like if he were to suit up for the Nets this season.

“Additionally, expect Cam Thomas (assuming he re-signs with the Nets in restricted free agency) to post a ludicrous usage rate,” Kram said. “After he put up a 32.6% mark this past season -- just behind Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham in the league's usage rankings.”