Nets’ plan for rookie point guards remains murky ahead of season opener

The preseason is over for the Nets, but for their three rookie point guards, so much has yet to be determined.

It is uncertain who will start the regular-season opener against the Hornets, who will serve as the backup and who will have to wait his turn.

Coach Jordi Fernández declined to reveal a depth chart for Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf after practice Sunday. Anyway, it can change game to game. Nothing is set in stone.

“I’m very happy with all three,” Fernández said. “All three have played in preseason, all three have done good things, and all three have things to work on.

“If they can take advantage of their minutes, they’re going to survive with their roles, whether they are starting or at backup. If somebody cannot sustain production or what we’re asking [from them], then [it will create an] opportunity for another one, and that’s why I want that healthy competition to work on our team, where they’re all pushing each other and they all have minutes and experience and they can grow.”

In the team’s four exhibition games, Saraf and Traore started twice apiece. But that was partly due to Dëmin, the highest pick of the three, only being available for the final contest due to a plantar fascia tear dating back to the spring.

Saraf averaged 6.3 points and 5.5 assists in 20.3 minutes, while Traore produced 4.5 points and 1.8 assists in 14.7 minutes. Both players struggled with turnovers, combining for 5.5 per game in the preseason.

The 6-foot-8 Dëmin was impressive in his debut, producing 14 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench with two turnovers.

“He did a great job. He looked composed. He helped us,” Fernández said. “It’s good that you see the ball go in, but basketball is not just about seeing the ball go in. He made the simple play. We didn’t turn it over as much [with him]. He got his teammates involved, and he had very good positional defensive possessions, where he was the low man, he went vertical, he protected the rim. Those things are very good to see at this point, but we’re going to ask him to keep getting better because we believe the sky is the limit for him and for the other two point guards, as well. Very exciting going into his first game.”

The three rookies all know one another from their time in the EuroLeague, and while they are battling one another for minutes, the three are all going through the same process together.

“I think everybody is trying to get better and everybody is trying to help everybody to get better,” Dëmin, the eighth pick in this year’s draft, said. “I think that’s where we’re going to be successful this year. Every practice, there’s going to be competition. It’s not about just me, Nolan and Ben. It’s about everything. As soon as we step off the court, we’re best friends. I think that’s how it should be.”