The Brooklyn Nets came into Friday’s preseason finale at the Toronto Raptors with the understanding that it would be the last tune-up game for them before the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season. Brooklyn had a good start to the preseason with wins over Hapoel Jerusalem and the Phoenix Suns, but the Raptors got the best of the Nets in the end.

The Nets lost their preseason finale at the Raptors 119-114 despite coming back from as many as 18 points down to make the game interesting in the fourth quarter thanks to several players stepping up. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way with 34 points and 10 rebounds while forward Ziaire Williams came off the bench with 20 points and two rebounds of his own to assist in the comeback.

While Brooklyn made plenty of plays to get back into the game, part of the reason that they weren’t able to win was because the huge hole that they dug themselves with the amount of turnovers they committed in the face of Toronto’s on-ball pressure. With that being said, here are the Nets player grades following Friday’s narrow loss to the Raptors:

Ben Saraf: C+

Saraf started this game at the point guard spot for the Nets and while his scoring has not caught up to the NBA level yet, he showed some signs of what he is able to do at the next level with the ball in his hands. Saraf had a tough time dealing Toronto’s on-ball pressure in the first half, but in the second half, he started to settle down and made some of the plays that he’s expected to make.

Cam Thomas: C

Thomas had one of those scoring games that he would like to have back as he never got into a rhythm with where he was taking his shots and where he likes to be on the floor. However, Thomas did a good job of being aggressive with the ball in his hands and that resulted in some timely assists and free-throws when he drove to the rim. Thomas also did a solid job of being in the right place from a team defense perspective.

Terance Mann: C-

Mann did a solid job of shooting the ball from the perimeter as he was getting some open looks with players like Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas drawing defensive attention. While Mann is known for his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter and play defense, he did find himself getting into some foul trouble as he struggled with keeping his hands off of players.

Michael Porter Jr.: A

Porter was on fire from the beginning of the game as he couldn’t miss from the perimeter or at the rim with the way that his game was flowing against the Raptors. Porter was not shy to take any of the shots that came his way and with Cam Thomas struggling to be efficient on the offensive end of the floor, Brooklyn needed every point that Porter was able to give.

Nic Claxton: B+

Claxton had a slow start to this game, but once he got comfortable, he was able to take it to whichever player the Raptors put at center, including Scottie Barnes. Most of Claxton’s time was spent playing against Jakob Poeltl, who is a physical presence at the rim, but Claxton did a good job of maintaining his aggressiveness, especially on the glass.

Ziaire Williams: A

Williams had his best game of the preseason and one of the best games that he has had in a Nets uniform with the way that he was scoring the ball, especially from the perimeter. Williams’ value is also on the defensive end, but he had trouble staying with Toronto’s perimeter players without fouling and that negated the defensive impact that he could’ve had on this game.

Day’Ron Sharpe: B-

Sharpe played in his role as the backup center behind Nic Claxton and he looked about as expected as he finished well at the rim and made his mark rebounding the basketball. Despite dealing with some turnovers and foul trouble, Sharpe did a great job of passing the ball, alleviating the pressure that the Raptors were putting on Brooklyn’s guards throughout the game.

Egor Demin: B-

Demin made his preseason debut in this one after missing some time due to a plantar fascia injury, but despite not having as much runway to this game, he looked like one of the players that was ready to deal with Toronto’s on-ball pressure. Demin had an all-around good performance on the offensive end, especially generating free-throws, and his poise handling the ball was infectious to his teammates.

Noah Clowney: D

Clowney had a rough preseason game as he couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end despite getting multiple open looks from the perimeter. Clowney looks like he understands where he needs to be on the floor, but it still feels like his offensive decision-making is a beat behind everyone else on the floor. Until he fixes that, his good offensive games will vary wildly.