Nets’ young players facing uphill battle for minutes in new-look rotation

Drake Powell appeared in 63 games (24 starts) as a rookie, averaging 21 minutes per game. Danny Wolf made 57 appearances (15 starts) for the Nets, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game. Ben Saraf also played nearly 21 minutes per game across 44 games (11 starts) in his first season. 

But none of them — three of the Nets’ five 2025 first-round picks — were among the 10 players who saw the floor for Brooklyn in its season-opening loss to Charlotte. 

“Nobody has guaranteed minutes,” head coach Jordi Fernández said Friday. 

Minutes are harder to come by in a season that doesn’t begin with a focus on the next NBA Draft, especially following the acquisition of Julius Randle, the selection of Mikel Brown Jr. and the signings of Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner. 

And Fernández wants to see what this group can produce before he bails on the rotation he’s envisioned. 

“I gotta give them enough consistency,” Fernández said. “I gotta be a little bit patient with what I want to see. But then at the same time, if I feel I have to make changes because of the benefit of the group, I will. It’s a process. It’s [one] game. If I [was] changing things right now, it would be a sign of freaking out, and I think we’re not there. 

“This group is great. The guys in rotation have done a great job. The guys that are not in rotation are working hard, and they’re working because when their number is called, they gotta take advantage of the minutes, and that’s how competition within the group works.” 

Michael Porter Jr. wants to make the most of his 6-foot-10 frame. 

The 28-year-old forward has averaged 6.5 rebounds per game in his career, topping out at 7.3 per game during his second season (2020-21) in Denver. 

But Porter believes he can still become one of the best rebounders in the league. 

“I had seven rebounds [against the Hornets and] I need to be closer to the 10-rebound range,” Porter said. “I think I can really help the team in that area. … As far as being a good rebounding team, I know a lot of that is on me.” 

Ellis returns to Cleveland for Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers. 

The fifth-year guard spent his entire career in Sacramento before being traded to Cleveland for the final 29 games of last regular season and the Cavs’ run to the Eastern Conference finals. 

Ellis, 26, tied Porter Jr. for the second-most minutes (34) played on the team in the season opener, including the entire fourth quarter. 

“He played with a lot of composure, steady, did his job,” Fernández said. “That’s why he’s more of a veteran even though he’s still very young.”