Story by
Nets Assign Trio of Young Players to G League Affiliate
- Story by
- Nets Assign Trio of Young Players to G League Affiliate
(John Jones/Imagn Images)
The Brooklyn Nets made a few roster moves, assigning Joshua Jefferson, Ben Saraf and Drake Powell to the Long Island Nets on Monday before their G League season opener.
Jefferson, Saraf and Powell haven't seen extended action in Brooklyn's first three games. All three played in the Nets' back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, and Powell led the group with 12 minutes.
Advertisement
They will have more opportunities to develop and receive starter-like minutes in the G League. Long Island opens its season against the Greensboro Swarm ( Charlotte Hornets ) at Novant Health Fieldhouse.
Saraf and Powell are second-year guards, part of the Flatbush Five. The Nets have a guard logjam with Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Keon Ellis ahead of them.
Both had strong preseason openers against Charlotte on Oct. 6. Saraf finished with eight points, two assists and two rebounds in 15 minutes, while Powell added nine points on 4-for-9 shooting, two rebounds and one assist.
Their performances declined as the preseason progressed. That's not encouraging for an organization that has seven first-round picks in the last two seasons on rookie-scale deals.
Advertisement
Youth is supposed to be Brooklyn's strength. The team has enough young legs to survive back-to-backs, and their potential as impact contributors could influence general manager Sean Marks to trade for a superstar .
Dëmin and Traoré look like the best of the group, and the other three are lagging.
Jefferson's assignment to the G League isn't surprising as a rookie. Marks traded up into the first round to select him with the 28th pick .
He's a talent do-it-all forward. The former Iowa State Cyclone averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists as a senior last season.
Injuries have plagued his rookie year, as back soreness sidelined him for all of preseason.
Advertisement
His time with Long Island should benefit his development, as he could play a similar role to what he did in college. Jefferson thrived with the ball in his hands, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates.
The 22-year-old recorded two triple-doubles: 10-10-10 against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Jan. 2 and 17-10-12 against the UCF Knights on Jan. 20.
Long Island can hone his two-way versatility to impact the game at a high level and help them translate to the pros.
Sending Saraf and Powell to the G League challenges them to show Coach Jordi Fernández they can play in his rotation, while Jefferson is stashed and developing behind the scenes.
