Nets' Ben Saraf reacts to first NBA action in Las Vegas Summer League
"I think the feedback was, for me and the other point guards, more to control the game, the pace, and the spacing," Saraf said Saturday after practice as the team prepares for its next game in the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday against the Washington Wizards. In Thursday's debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Saraf played 17 minutes and had three points and two assists.
"We do want to play fast, Jordi's system wants to play fast, but we need to play under control," Saraf continued while discussing how head coach Jordi Fernandez wants to play at a high tempo. "I think the last practice, we're doing it better, yesterday and today. So, I think we will be better in the next game."
Saraf was one of the rookies that underwhelmed in Thursday's loss to the Thunder, but he also showed some signs of how he can contribute when next season begins. There were a number of drives that Saraf made during his time on the floor in which he displayed the ability to get a step on his defender along with the willingness to get creative with his shot attempts at the rim.
Saraf, the 26th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will be trying to balance his ability to pass the ball with his ability to score the ball in a variety of ways on a roster with plenty of ball-handling. Traore is regarded as the player in the Nets' draft class with the most well-rounded game in terms of his playmaking and his penchant for scoring the ball from his days playing professionally in Germany.
"Me, Egor (Demin), and Nolan (Traore) are pretty smart, so we know how to share the ball together. I think we've all have played with another point guard on the court, so we all know how to do it, and I really love to share the court with them. I really like talented, impressive players, so I'm having fun. We do it pretty well," Saraf said when discussing his playing with fellow draftees Demin and Traore.
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