Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Ben Saraf has found himself back in the rotation after being the starter for the first five games of the season before being benched. Brooklyn has been dealing with some injuries recently and that has allowed players like Saraf to see more minutes than usual, but head coach Jordi Fernandez explained his approach with Saraf’s minutes this season.
“Well, I took him out of the rotation, and then he got hurt, but he went and played with Long Island and play like an NBA player,” Fernandez said prior to Thursday’s 123-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. After Saraf has been sent to Long Island, Brooklyn’s G League afiliate, following his benching, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for over one week, but he seems like he’s good to go now.
“Once we’ve had an opportunity to play him, he played great, whether it was in Milwaukee the last game, I know last game the turnovers were a little shaky, but it was not just him,” Fernandez continued. “I want them [Saraf and the other rookies] to go out there and not be afraid to make a mistake, play free. Also, be cautious and good setups and understanding the coverages.”
Saraf, 19, is averaging 5.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 35.2% from the field and 27.6% from three-point land in 11 appearances so far this season. However, Saraf has posted better numbers since getting back into the rotation amidst injuries to players like Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann as the southpaw is averaging 8.8 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on .444/.313/.857 shooting splits in his last four appearances.
Whether Saraf remains in the rotation once Cam Thomas and Haywood Highsmith have recovered from their injuries is left to be seen given the depth of veterans on the team already. However, Brooklyn has been allocating more playing time to the rookies as a whole and if Saraf can reasonably fill some minutes as a backup point guard, he may not have to go back to a G League assignment anytime soon.