Report: Nets optimistic about Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf playing together
"A lot of people see them as being similar players, and that's somewhat fair. But we think they can play together. Look at OKC and Indiana. They play a lot of ball-handlers and creators," a Nets front-office executive said of guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, per Spotrac's Keith Smith. Traore and Saraf were regarded as players who can make things happen with the best in their hands, but may struggle to play off the ball due to the questions surrounding their shooting abilities.
"We're not too worried about the shooting here (Summer League)," Smith continued. "Both guys just finished up their seasons overseas. They were both pretty wiped out." It was clear following the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft that the Nets were leaning into the idea of having multiple players on the floor that can run the offense along with setting teammates up when needed.
While Brooklyn finished the Las Vegas Summer League with a disappointing 1-4 record, they did get the chance to see Traore and Saraf on the floor with guard Egor Demin and forward Danny Wolf. The results weren't entirely encouraging given that time will tell which players will be on the ball more than others, but there were some instances in which one could see the vision of what Brooklyn is trying to build.
"This is the way our roster is constructed," Nets summer league coach Steve Hetzel of the strategy while in Las Vegas. "The league is now multiple ball handlers, attackers. If you look at the team that just won the championship (Oklahoma City Thunder), they got Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that could both put the ball in the paint. We feel like the more people that we can have attacking and making plays, the better we are."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
16 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
USC's Alijah Arenas Out 6-to-8 Months Due to Knee Surgery
USC freshman guard Alijah Arenas will require surgery on his knee that will keep him out of action for six to eight months, the school announced Wednesday. The McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. The younger Arenas is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Chatsworth High School (Los Angeles) and was expected to be a big contributor for the Trojans this season. "Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person," USC coach Eric Musselman said. "He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process." Arenas, 18, was involved in a single-car accident in April after he crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree in the Reseda section of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. He spent six days in the hospital following the accident and was in an induced coma but did not suffer major injuries. In a news conference in June, Arenas said his Cybertruck's keypad and steering wheel wouldn't respond. Arenas said he awoke to find the passenger side of the dashboard engulfed in flames and tried to use his digital key to escape, only to find the Tesla app had locked him out. "I tried to open the door and the door wasn't opening," he said. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! Get more from the USC Trojans Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN calls Thunder's decision not to draft Alperen Sengun their worst mistake of 2020s
Nobody bats 1.000 in the NBA. If you're lucky enough to be the head decision-maker, you'll stomach through some misses with roster construction. That was the premise of ESPN's Zack Kram's recent piece. Kram went through every team's receipts to see their biggest mistake made in the 2020s. At the halfway mark of the decade, enough time has passed to properly judge recent moves. For context, all of the moves mentioned were brought up in retrospect. That means even if the deal made sense at the time, how it's aged matters most. If the thought process was criticized at the time, that's just bonus points to paint how badly a front office missed. Fresh off an NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder don't have many moves to heavily hate on. They had one of the greatest seasons ever built on mostly homegrown talent. For those who were brought in, it was savvy offseason moves. That said, Kram bundled a group of draft trades that didn't work out for the Thunder. Considering the rich draft capital they've had for the decade, misses are bound to happen. Especially for an aggressive front office. You're guaranteed at least one NBA draft deal by Sam Presti. "Three draft deals reflect Presti's all-too-human fallibility," Kram wrote. "In 2020, he dealt the No. 25 and 28 picks for No. 17, thereby giving away future starters Immanuel Quickley and Jaden McDaniels, while bringing Aleksej Pokusevski to Oklahoma City." That's fair. The Thunder were in the infancy stages of their rebuild. It was all about taking huge swings of upside. That's what Pokusevski provided. The 18-year-old was extremely raw but had interesting tools. Injuries and inconsistent play stalled anything from being materialized, though. He's been out of the league for a year now. "In 2021, he traded up from No. 36 to No. 32, reaching for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl instead of being content with useful backup Miles McBride," Kram continued. "Worst of all, also in 2021, Presti traded No. 16 pick Alperen Sengun — a European prospect who, unlike Pokusevski, panned out — to Houston for two future picks, which he used a year later in a package for Ousmane Dieng." There's been talk about the Sengun trade since the day it happened. He's turned into a one-time All-Star, but his playoff limitations this past year showed he's better off being a second-option or third-option. That's why the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant. And even if you want to call the Sengun trade a miss, it didn't really sting the Thunder. They added Chet Holmgren a year later with the No. 2 pick of the 2022 NBA draft. He's turned into one of the best defensive players in the league and was the third-best player on an NBA champion. Getting signed to a five-year, $250 million extension this offseason also validated the Thunder's decision to pass up on Sengun. He's a nice player, but not the type of player you really lose sleep over. Especially after you captured the Larry O'Brien trophy last month.
New York Post
16 minutes ago
- New York Post
USC's Alijah Arenas out with knee injury months after fiery car wreck
Alijah Arenas will have to wait to start his college basketball career. The incoming USC freshman suffered a knee injury that required surgery and will force him to miss six to eight months, the team announced Wednesday. Basketball insider Chris Haynes, who first reported the injury, said Arenas, the son of former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas, suffered a torn meniscus. Advertisement Alijah ArenasChatsworth Chancellors drives to the basket against Jesuit Marauders in the first half of a boys CIF State Division II championship basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on March 15, 2025. MediaNews Group via Getty Images 'Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman said in a statement. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority.' It's been a scary few months for the younger Arenas, who was put into a medically induced coma following a frightening April car crash in which he lost control of his vehicle and hit a fire hydrant and a tree. Advertisement His Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames, and Arenas said he was in and out of consciousness before going to the hospital. He was released about a week later. Chatsworth High School basketball player Alijah Arenas prepares to shoot a free throw in the second half of a boys CIF State Division II championship game in Sacramento on March 15, 2025. AP 'I switched lanes without meaning to, and I knew something was wrong, and next thing you know, I can't get back to the left lane,' Arenas recalled at the end of June. 'So then a car is coming towards me, and I think that I'll just pull over. So I speed up to pull over to the right in a neighborhood because there are cars parked on the street I'm on to the right. But when I'm speeding up to turn, I can't stop. The wheel wasn't responding to me as if I wasn't in the car.' Advertisement Arenas is a five-star recruit who is ranked No. 10 overall by 247Sports and the nation's top shooting guard. He received offers from Arizona, West Virginia, Alabama, Arizona State and California, among more than a dozen others.
