March 23, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET
Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Ben Saraf has been having an up-and-down campaign that isn’t unexpected for a 19-year-old learning to play point guard in the NBA during his rookie season. Brooklyn has been dealing with some injuries to its rotation lately and Saraf has had to step up in the meantime. It looks like the rookie is starting to find his stride.
“I think that I did pretty good, I got to the rim and played off two [feet] like the coaches want, it felt like I was able to finish,” Saraf said after Sunday’s 126-122 loss at the Sacramento Kings. Saraf finished the contest with a career-high 22 points while also chipping in three rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes as the backup point guard to fellow rookie Nolan Traore.
“I mean, they didn’t have a crazy shot-blocker so I was able to get the go to go all the way [to the basket],” Saraf continued. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez noted Saraf’s aggressiveness and how pleased he was with his performance. “It was great. [It was] probably one of his best games finishing at the rim. You see it right there, I like how aggressive he was.”
Saraf is on his way to have the best month of his rookie season as he seems to have gotten a better hold of how he is supposed to operate within the Nets’ offense. Following Sunday’s loss to the Kings, Saraf is averaging 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from the field and 20.0% from three-point range in 34 games played this season.
However, in March, Saraf is averaging 8.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 42.9% from the floor. With the Nets having 71 games left to play in the 2025-26 NBA season, Saraf does not having much time left before his rookie campaign ends, but until that happens, he’s looking to finish the season playing the best basketball of his first season in the league.
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