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The Brooklyn Nets' decision to draft three international point guards left many observers scratching their heads. Even more puzzling was the fact that all three of their guard selections — Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf — were subpar shooters last season.
Yet, the Nets have projected confidence, even adamance, that their draft picks will excel as shooters at the next level. Through three games at Summer League, Demin has looked the part, while Traore and Saraf have come up well short.
After shooting 27 percent from three last season at BYU, Demin's floor spacing has been a bright spot in Las Vegas. The No. 8 pick has sought every opportunity to let it fly. Most of his attempts have looked pure, as he's shot 40.0 percent from three on 7.5 attempts per game.
“This is something I was coming to the team with. There were a lot of questions about my shooting at the end of the NCAA season. But Brooklyn trusted me, they believed in me as a good shooter in the future,” Demin said. “This is where I take this confidence from. Obviously, when coaches are telling me to shoot the ball, that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna be confident in myself, knowing how many reps I put into this.
“As a whole team, we want to shoot threes. We want to shoot a lot of threes. We want to run the floor, spray out, and shoot the threes. We want to shoot at least 40 threes per game.”
Demin, who stands 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, has played on and off the ball at Summer League. He's displayed impressive range and looked comfortable shooting off the catch or pulling up off the dribble, a positive sign for his positional versatility moving forward.
Ben Saraf drives and finds a relocating Egor Demin, who drains a clutch three.
Demin is 4/9 from deep tonight. The misses have looked good. Most of them on line. pic.twitter.com/HM3yqYZc1N
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 14, 2025
Defender works under the screen, and Egor Demin makes him pay with a pull-up three.
Hot start for him. He's 2/3 from three with two assists. The shooting stroke looks pure. pic.twitter.com/1OaYKEewv8
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 14, 2025
Traore and Saraf have been another story.
Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf under three-point microscope after Nets' draft
The Nets' late-round point guards have been hesitant to pull the trigger from three. When they have, they've looked uncomfortable. Traore has shot 1-of-7 over three Summer League appearances, while Saraf is 0-of-4.
Their unwillingness to shoot when given space was evident during Tuesday's 97-93 loss to the New York Knicks, during which Brooklyn shot 5-of-25 from three as a whole.
For a team that is insistent on attempting 40-plus threes per game, Traore and Saraf's 11 combined attempts at Summer League aren't going to cut it.
“I think a little too much hesitation,” said Nets Summer League head coach Steve Hetzel. “Our philosophy is let it fly. We come out here, we want to shoot 40-plus [threes] in a 40-minute game, and we didn't get to that number [on Tuesday]. I thought [on Sunday] we did. The bottom line for us, it’s not whether it goes in or we miss, it’s the attempt. And we did hesitate too much.”
That hesitation is apparent on plays like the one below, where Saraf passes up a wide-open three off a drive and kick.
Nice take from Ben Saraf. That crossover is legit, and it looked like he got fouled.
But he has to shoot that three. pic.twitter.com/ibrN3WgEtq
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 15, 2025
Plays like that will earn Brooklyn's rookies a seat on the bench come the regular season.
“I told them already, if your teammate touches the paint and creates a three for you, you have to let it fly. Otherwise, you’re gonna come sit with me,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said at the rookies' introductory press conference.
Saraf and Traore understand the strategy, but they'll need to implement it during their minutes, the next of which could come during Friday's Summer League finale.
“What the coaches have told us is to try to get as many three-pointers as we can. The most important thing for us is to get [threes] after a paint touch or out of transition, wide open. But yeah, we want to shoot a lot of threes, and we can do it better,” Saraf said. “It’s, as I said, part of the process. We need to make adjustments, me and all the other guys. And we will do it.”
Demin, Traore and Saraf's ceilings as lead ball-handlers will hinge on their outside shooting. Their three-point capabilities will also determine whether they can share the floor. While draft analysts and coaches view Traore as a traditional point guard, Demin (6-foot-8 barefoot) and Saraf (6-foot-6 barefoot) have the size to play on the wing.
General manager Sean Marks took a major swing during the most important draft of his career with his three ball-handler selections. Their shooting development will determine whether he hits a home run or strikes out.
