Is Egor Demin a future STAR or BUST for the Brooklyn Nets? | Draft analyst weighs in with his take

coming up is Jaor Demond the star point guard the Nets have been waiting for i’ll dive into that after this [Music] You are Locked on Nets your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast part of the Locked On Network Your team every day Welcome in to the Locked On Nets podcast right here on the Locked On Network It’s your team the Brooklyn Nets every single day I’m Eric Slater Brooklyn Nets’s beat reporter for clutchoints.com Thank you for making me your first listen of the day This show is 100% free on all those great platforms Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel Right now new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins And on today’s show I’m going to be diving into the Nets somewhat shocking 2025 NBA draft looking at their five first round selections NBA record diving into that from a philosophical standpoint and also focusing on Jagor Deon and whether he has bus potential or potential star upside for the Nets Now I’m joined now by Derek Parker draft analyst who runs his own YouTube channel also writes for OnSi And Derek there’s a need amongst the fan base to understand what the Nets did in this draft Obviously an NBA record five first round picks they made They shocked everyone at eight with Jagor Deon and then they took three international ball handlers But the volume of picks the philosophy of targeting multiple guys who play the same positions and have similar attributes Let’s start there So when you saw the Nets kind of go with this overall philosophy keeping all these picks targeting players some people some people would call redundant just what was your initial reaction and what did you make of it
yeah I was a little bit surprised by like other people’s reaction in the moment like before I really took to like Twitter to see like what other people were saying and Reddit and whatever I thought it was fine I mean like I come from a small market like I’m in Oklahoma City I covered the Thunder This is what the Thunder did early in their rebuild you I mean they obviously traded for Shay They then took Josh Giddy Uh they got Jayd Dub Jaylen Williams who can handle the ball Like they stuck with redundancy And so I I understood from like Brooklyn’s point of view gambling on all these guys who yeah they might not all be able to shoot and they might have a little bit of overlap across the board but I think people that were expecting them to leave with like five really great seamless contributors were were probably living in the fantasy land So using all these picks to gamble on trying to get at least one elite person in the like handling role and then probably at least a few other guys who will be able to like back them up or play on the wing or or do more ancillary things I thought it was a fine gamble So I’m excited to talk about it and jump into it
Yeah I think everybody was just surprised that they made all five picks because there had been so many rumblings about the trade up possibilities and just that’s logically where your mind goes and them not trading up I I know it wasn’t for a lack of trying Like they talked with other teams about moving up further into the top 10 I’m sure they investigated some um you know lottery uh move up possibilities But yeah when you’re talking about making all these picks the way I’ve been looking at it is the Nets are so devout of young talent right now Like they just don’t their best players you know they have Cam Cam Thomas is like their young guy I guess who you could say but in addition to that like Nick Claxton he’s 26 on the younger side but kind of in the middle Cam Johnson doesn’t really fit a rebuilding timeline They don’t have anybody in that you know 18 19 to like 21 range who you would consider like a highlevel prospect So for the people who’s saying that these guys don’t fit together I feel like the Nets are just in talent acquisition mode at this point for these guys and they’re trying to make as many dart throws as they can and they’re trying to see if a few of them stick regardless of position But the first dart throw they made I think shocked everybody when they took Jaor Demond at eighth overall A player who has a really intriguing skill set but consensus draft you know opinion I think that was a little high for him relative to where you had him on your board Do you did you consider that pick a little bit of a reach when they made it
i would say a little bit of a reach Sure Um I don’t think it was necessarily a bad pick I mean I think like there were other teams in their range that wanted Jor Demon I mean and obviously like I’m sure you’ve talked about or or I’m sure people have seen on Twitter the Thunder reportedly wanted to trade up and go get Jagor Deon And anybody the Thunder want to go get terrible Um but I I think sure was it great asset management no But is it necessarily a bad pick was it like so much of a reach that it’s like all like lifealtering no I don’t think so
Yeah And when you talk about you know Deon as the player like we we discussed you know I had you on for a prior episode and we talked about the Nets targeting upside and we didn’t think that it was really a question that they were going to be looking at upside There was a good chance they were going to be looking at ball handlers And we talked about the realistic guys who could be available for them with that eighth pick And you know we talked about Jeremiah Fears He goes off the board We talked about Trey Johnson and Kankan Nipple They go off the board Obviously Ace Bailey was another guy who was somewhat linked to them He’s off the board So if you’re looking for an upside pick an upside ball handler the other options you know Kasparus Yakonis a guy we talked about but he ends up falling all the way to 20 So it’s not that shocking that they went with Deon at that pick When you look at it through that lens I think some people thought that they could have gone after Kaman Maluatch who obviously there I think there’s a little bit of a debate amongst you know what his upside is He’s viewed as a little bit of a safer pick but some people um you know think that he does have the upside you know assuming that those are probably two of the leading candidates for them there would you have preferred you know for in Brooklyn situation for them to go with a player like Malawatch
uh definitely no I mean I I think in Brooklyn’s situation I would absolutely swing for upside as we touched on I mean most of the guys we covered were upside swings You know Yakonis was an upside swing Jeremiah Fear’s upside swing Jor Demon obviously he’s like the pinnacle of upside swings in this draft Um and and leaving with Malawatch to me especially when I know that Claxon may not fit the rebuilding timeline but especially when you have Claxon like you would basically have to almost immediately offload him for Malawatch to get any type of burn So no I I much preferred the Demon pick in their situation And honestly I I think this will end up working out better than than simply drafting for fit or or drafting like a lower ceiling player would have All right coming up after a short break we’re going to get into Demond’s skill set the case for him the case against him and why we think the Nets ultimately landed with him at the number eight pick But before that want to tell you about our friends over at Monarch Money Ever wish managing your money felt easier with Monarch Money it can Whether you’re growing your savings or planning a big purchase Monarch puts you in the driver’s seat It’s like having your own personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances Monarch Money is more than a budgeting app It’s a complete financial command center You can track all your accounts investments and spending in one place So in addition to managing your money you’re also building wealth Guys look it’s the summer There’s a lot to do out there Maybe you’re going out to eat more going out to a ball game going to a concert any of those things along those lines You got to budget You got to know what you’re spending on Monarch Money makes it easy to track all of that and meet your financial goals Take control of your finances with Monarch Money Use code lockdown NBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year That’s monarchmoney.com code lockedown NBA for half off your first year Coming out of the break talking with Derek Parker NBA draft analyst about the Net’s shocking selection at number eight taking Jaor Deon BYU point guard And I think the skill set people know you know what the skill set is with Deon now at this point Very high field player He’s massive for a lead ball handler 69 610 wingspan probably best passer in the draft You said that you think that this is going to work out a lot better than you know some people have reacted to it What gives you like what’s the case for Deen and what gives you hope that he could you know wind up being a good value for the Nets with the eighth pick yeah I think in my evaluation I didn’t necessarily come away with anything different than anybody else Um I think athletically you know not great As you touched on I think he’s the best passer in the class I think that’s very apparent when you dive into the tape The thing that jumped out most to me will be his role malleability I don’t think he’s necessarily pigeonholed to being a point guard I don’t think he’s necessarily pigeonhold to being a wing or even a forward I mean we’re talking about a guy who’s 19 years old Athletically he probably stands to get a little better He will fill out more He might get a little quicker I don’t necessarily bank on like speed and first step coming around but I mean he’ll get more coordinated He’ll bulk up Like he’ll just get bigger and older and wiser And he he’s just stands to grow as a player regardless of whether he’s great or good or bad like he will get better in some capacity And I think that lends itself so well to him playing a variety of different roles Like maybe if he really does gain some speed and some size and some physicality and he can capitalize on mismatches then he’s a point guard and he can play point guard But if not I think the shooting stands to come around I think he’ll be able to play on the wing He’s just a smart enough player Like you touched on he has some of the best feel for the game in the class I trust that he’ll make the right play pretty constantly pretty consistently So and then if he really does bulk up to like some big range then he’ll be able to play legit forward too I think he’ll maybe even be able to play in like some sort of pick and roll mindset Like maybe he’ll just the the way they got such malleable ball handlers maybe he’ll be able to run actions on the other end with like a Trayor or or a Saraf or whoever So I just think he’ll be a malleable player in general And that that gives me some hope moving forward that even if he isn’t like a true number one lead guard that he will have positive impact on an NBA team in some capacity
And I think the positional versatility is huge And I I’m glad that you brought that up because it’s something that I wanted to touch on I think it’s something that ultimately played a significant role in the Nets taking him at number eight We talked with Shawn Marx after the draft immediately after the draft And one of the things that he brought up was the direction the NBA is going in terms of you know scheme versatility positional versatility defensive versatility You know I defensively I don’t think anybody thinks that Demon’s like a great defender at this point but I would say based on Sean’s comments it seems like the Nets were higher than consensus on what he could be defensively And then if you’re talking about him playing you know multiple positions outside of point guard on the other end it’s probably going to hinge on his shooting development And I want to dig into the shooting you know briefly because it’s a huge aspect of you know Jagor’s development He started off the season hot from three He you know went really cold after that He had a little bit of a knee issue but he ended up at 27% from three I think on pretty high volume but that was the main concern because he’s not a guy who was elite separating from people The handle isn’t you know elite relative to some of the other ball handlers in this class So him being able to shoot it at a respectable to good level is is going to be huge for him to you know create advantages and do those things offensively We talked to Shawn all the reports I’m sure you heard them was that he shot the cover off the ball in his pre-draft workouts We saw
we saw the um the proday video out in Chicago and Shawn told us that pretty much said he wasn’t worried about it because that he showed us that he can absolutely shoot at HSS and that’s practice facility during his workout That’s what he said So you said you suspect the shooting is going to come around as well I think What gives you confidence that he’s going to be able to develop in that area and be somebody who can make NBA defenses pay from beyond the ark
yeah funnily enough I think it is confidence Like the form is fine Obviously the numbers weren’t great Like it’s the classic draft case of like everything is going perfectly except for the fact that the ball doesn’t go in Like just happens that’s that sometimes happen especially over such small sample size in a one-year sample Um but he’s just such a confident shooter like he he never shies away from doing that Obviously in the interviews that you touched on like he said like I’m going to be a good shooter I know I’m going to be a good shooter I love that mindset moving forward And then the confidence that the Nets have in him like you just touched on again like the fact that they’re so confident that he’ll shoot the ball like an NBA organization with multiple scouts they’ve got an entire office dedicated to like figuring out whether this guy’s going to be able to do it or not Like that gives me some confidence moving forward in him that I I think maybe it was just a one-year sample of like yeah he he dealt with some little nagging issues I mean he was totally new to the situation He’s an international guy so like he’s coming in This is a very very different experience for him And I think he just didn’t shoot well And I I think that’s just what happened So I don’t know that he’ll be like some high volume scorcher for his whole career but I think he’ll certainly be able to to knock shots down in some capacity
And you know assuming which it’s a tough assumption but if he is able to knock down three-point shots and be somewhat of a threat off the dribble and off the catch that’s going to unlock the positional versatility that you were referring to before And I think that that’s been an interesting conversation coming out of this draft because he’s really been labeled as a point guard Like it’s been he’s an elite passer ball handler I understand why because of those skills that he has but he does have the size as you said to play numerous other positions So while it’s kind of difficult to pigeon hole him into one spot at this point what do you feel is the most likely position where he’s going to spend the most time assuming that he is able to get that three-point shooting to come around
yeah I mean I’m really really high on his passing ability Uh and I I think he’s got a decent enough handle that he would be able to function at the lead guard but my heart right now just says that he’ll be a wing I just think that there’s probably going to be better lead guard options Like there’s just not a ton of these guys spread across the league And the guys that are like in his archetype are one of one 99th percentile outcomes and like a Luca Donsic and things like that So I think that’s going to be tough to hit just like based on I mean again I covered Josh Giddy that is probably the NBA comparison and he was pretty much a dynasty starts after you type player like unfortunately for him So I think that he will probably be best served on the wing I think he’ll shoot the ball better than Giddy I think he’ll play better defense than Josh Giddy So I would anticipate him to to play the wing moving forward But that doesn’t that shouldn’t stop Brooklyn from rolling him out in a point guard capacity both for the next few years and even down the line Like maybe he’ll start the game on the wing and then play backup point guard with the reserves Like as we’ve touched on there’s no limit to the versatility that he has
Yeah And you know I think that that last line is a great way to kind of sum up what might a big part of what led the Nets to select him and gave him them confidence and his upside there Because if that jump shot is able to come around that positional versatility just gives you so much opt optionality in how you craft your lineups in terms of having a guy who can be the wing a guy who can carry second units It just gives you you know a lot more options in the different you know rotations and lineups that you roll out And you know if the jump shot is able to come around you said you know seeing him more as a wing that I feel like completely changes the calculus on how you evaluate this pick Also you know a big criticism of it was the Nets took three lead ball handlers How do these guys fit together how do they play together if he’s a guy who can shoot and play the wing and kind of be this connective playmaker that adds you know just a whole another element to you know what they do So I think that that’s something that I think fans and you know draft people may have been discounting a little bit in terms of where the upside lands on him but I think there also are some really you know glaring concerns that could you know that led to him you know falling on a lot of draft boards So we’ll touch on some of those and whether we think he’ll be able to round out those aspects on his game after a quick break The MLB season is heating up and every game brings clutch hits standout pitching and unforgettable moments From walk-off homers to no hitters in the making there’s no shortage of drama on the diamond and no better time to get in on the action FanDuel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live With player props performance trends and same game parlays fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big Look guys maybe you’re watching the Yankees Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers are just on a tear offensively You could combine prop bets from multiple hitters If you get a read on who who’s heating up why not back it up with a same game parlay New to FanDuel it’s the perfect time to sign up Head to FanDuel.com and place your first $5 bet If it wins you’ll get $200 in bonus bets Make every moment more with FanDuel official sports betting partner of the NBA Coming back from the break closing out today’s Lockdown Nets episode talking with Derek Parker uh YouTube draft analyst and writer for OnSi And we talked about Jieor Demon strengths you know some of the things that we think made him an upside pick for the Nets at 8 but there obviously you know there’s some perceived bust potential with this pick So let’s start there Where do you view his floor because I think a lot of people were surprised to see them take him at this spot because they do think that you know there is bus potential and Shawn Mars could come out of this you know with like some egg on his face for lack of a better term How do you you know where do you view his floor and do you think that there is you know a decent a decent chance that he could end up being a bust to the next level
yeah I mean very truthfully the floor is about as low as it goes Like there’s a chance that if things don’t pan out like if across the board he does not get better athletically he cannot shoot the ball he simply can’t hold up against NBA defense like he just won’t be a playable player Like he’s going to have to get stronger he’s going to have to play with more physicality Usman Jen kind of like jumps out to me as a player who has kind of seen that pathway like Usuzman Jing again 69 was able to handle the ball uh did a lot of things in the pick and roll was supposed to have defensive versatility could really pass it but just hasn’t really caught up to NBA physicality like he just kind of crumbles under pressure and and defensively isn’t quite where he should have been So that that’s a realistic outcome Maybe not realistic but it’s a potential outcome for Demon if everything doesn’t go his way Now some of these things will like I mean NBA prospects develop so differently and at different times like Usuzman Jen for for that matter is still in the league and was still chosen over Dylan Jones to be on the Thunder roster So I I think he’ll be able to develop in a few areas but the floor is very low
Yeah And you know talking about why that floor is low obviously the hand the shooting you know goes without saying If he can’t develop the shot that’s viewed I I spoke to you on our last time we talked and you said you viewed that as the swing skill you know for him in terms of if he’s not able to do that it’s going to make so many other things his pick and roll prowess all those things a lot more difficult to shine The other part of it is you know the ball handling I think there’s m there’s multiple things we’ll touch on Let’s start with the ball handling because he’s not a guy who’s you know very shifty laterally He doesn’t have an elite handle by any stretch of the imagination I think he showed pretty good like straight line speed like he’s a strider If he’s gotten a lane he’s been able to get there if he if he sees an opening and finish But you know the handle is a really big concern the lack of you know lateral agility because the thing that you hear from all these draft analysts is how is he going to score you know outside of the pick and roll or do anything like that So how much of a concern is that for you and do you view him as a guy where the Nets have some potential to unlock some kind of self-creation or do you think he’s really just going to be more of this guy that you’re spamming pick and roll with and you’re trying to you know create some openings for him that way
yeah I think it’s one of the absolute toughest things to project as like a draft guy and just in general like I think anybody who knows when a handle is going to get better is probably working in a front office right now Like that’s just how it works It’s so so hard to predict because so many things have to line up like your coordination has to get better You have to get quicker faster shiftier Like you have to work on it a lot Like obviously the players that have have drastically raised their handle Some of the like Kawhi Leonard type guys have just like put in the work over the years So everything I’ve heard about Demond right now seems like he’s one of those guys who stay in the gym and work on it But it is a concern Um I think players just naturally get better in this area I think the like very ball screen heavy NBA obviously helps like yeah he can’t really score outside of the pick and roll right now but you could also just hammer the pick and roll consistently and only do that Like that that’s the nature of the NBA right now is pick and roll basketball So it’s a concern but I do anticipate him to get better Now to what degree he gets better is probably directly affecting like where he lands in his career Like if he doesn’t improve at all maybe he hits that low outcome If he gets way way way better maybe there’s star upside there So certainly something to keep an eye on uh moving forward with Yay Gore
And another thing that I think hasn’t been talked about enough is you know the concerns about him are in the half court offense all of those things but he’s an elite playmaker and you don’t only play in the half court in basketball There’s a transition game and that’s really important I know to Jordi Fernandez and the way that he wants to play And we were talking to Jaor uh in his press conference right after he got picked He I asked him you know what were the conversations like how did they say they could see you fitting in and one of the things he was saying was Jordy really talking to me about you know how I can be a grab and go guy and push the pace and find some of the athletes that they’re going to have Like they took Drake Pal a really athletic guy I think will pair nice in transition with him So his skill set and what you saw from him at this year in BYU how do you think it can kind of lend itself to that transition game
yeah I I think for all the places he might not be the greatest like he’s going to be really really good in this area like he probably has the best combination of velocity accuracy processing that I’ve ever seen in a passer And obviously he’s 69 He’s going to be able to to have the graband go potential get boards I the it’s hard to to keep coming back to this but I covered Josh Giddy extensively while he was here They’re the same type of like playmaker like in a in the best way possible Like Mark DNel talks about it often You need a guy who can like kickstart offense Like it’s not necessarily ever going to be flashy like it’s not going to be behind the back like crosscourt ropes constantly but just a guy who really gets the ball moving pushes the pace like really changes the dynamic of the entire offense opposed to just like making the one cool pass that ends up an assist like I think Jay Gore Demon’s that guy And whether he’s playing lead guard wing forward whatever I think he’ll be able to be that guy pretty consistently And what you said just having a guy who keeps the ball moving makes the right play Like Shawn Marks was talking about the philosophy of picking all of these you know ball handlers who are high IQ high field pass first And the thing he said was it’s 0.5 second basketball You don’t hold the ball you keep it moving So they were clearly you know placing a really high premium on that And I think a lot of that is going to shine in the transition game He’s also a guy from the shooting perspective If you watch him he was comfortable pulling up in transition and taking some pull-up threes So the confidence you know if he can develop in that area the passing ability like maybe this could end up being a guy who has Ben Simmons like you know ball handling transition passing but maybe can shoot a little bit too And that would be a pretty good player obviously A pretty uh you know hopeful outlook for him Obviously last thing I want to touch on um of his weaknesses is he’s going to need to fill out like he has great size at 6’9 but he’s a pretty slight frame and I don’t think he he finished well you know percentage-wise at the rim but I think there are concerns about how he’ll match up with the physicality and being able to you know deal with guys who are getting up into him from a ball handling perspective and also finishing at the rim when you get some contests there So how do you feel about this that aspect of this game the finishing and just the overall you know being able to match up with the physicality that NBA defenders are going to bring
yeah maybe more than anything that’s like the biggest jump for these players is the physicality Like you go from college where you’re seeing 61 point guards and guys who obviously just aren’t as great and then you go to the NBA where it’s like everybody everybody is the biggest the baddest bigger faster stronger Like it it’s a huge huge jump It’s something so many players struggle with and especially ones that don’t have that kind of physicality built in Um so the good news is is that he has great touch Like he’s got touch in that mid-range He’s got touch around the basket So even when he is physically outmatched I think he’ll be able to create advantages still He’ll still be able to capitalize wherever it is But he needs to fill out and I would expect him to I mean again this guy’s 19 years old Like he looks to have the frame to put on muscle and things like that So I think he’ll be fine Uh just another area to kind of keep an eye on
All right closing this out I’m going to put you on the spot a little bit Obviously this is somewhat of an impossible question because so many things have to develop So many things you know it’s going to be such a long time before we know the answer But based on what you’ve seen with him and how you feel about you know his skill set his player archetype where the NBA is going all those things what would you say or what would you guess is kind of the most likely outcome for where he lands as a player yeah I I’m excited that he landed with the Nets I think it’s a great developmental system I think there were a few other places that had Jagor landed I wouldn’t be as high on him but I I think this is a good spot He’ll be able to iron out the kinks early and then just be able to kind of grow as a good basketball player for the foreseeable future So I would expect him to be a positively impactful player I don’t know that he’ll necessarily be a number one or two scoring option but I think he’ll be a starting level wing I think he’ll be one of the heavy rotation guys a guy who can finish games I don’t know how how far I want to go with this Like is he a 16game player that I’m uncertain of but in the least I think he will be a good NBA starter uh with a a high ceiling that that the Nets can hopefully maximize
All right Derek really appreciate you taking the time If you guys don’t already go check out Derek’s work on his YouTube channel and also follow his writing on SI Does just a great job has a really great video on Jaor on his heat check series So definitely go check that out and uh yeah I appreciate you taking the time and uh look forward to following more of your work man
Appreciate it That does it for today’s episode of Locked on Nets Hope you guys really enjoyed the talk with Derek Think he did a really great job encompassing all aspects of the Nets draft philosophy and also the case for and against Jaor Demon So go check out his stuff on YouTube and if you don’t already be sure to subscribe to this show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast whether Apple podcast or Spotify Also make sure to like comment Anything you guys can do to engage is much appreciated as I try to build this channel But I’ll be back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball

Erik Slater and NBA draft analyst Derek Parker analyze the Brooklyn Nets’ historic week. They delve into the team’s draft strategy and break down Egor Demin’s potential as a future centerpiece.

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13 comments
  1. every one of their picks will be a bust! Wolf may flourish somewhere else eventually but these guys will never be nightly players in the league

  2. I think Egor Demin will eventually move to Small Forward (Point Forward). I can see the FO drafting another PG in the 2026 Draft, hopefully it's Darryn Peterson 🤷‍♂️

  3. I'm super high on Egor being great and Powell and Wolf being good rotation players.

    Still not fully invested in the other two yet until I see how that works out on the court having so many pgs with similar strengths and weaknesses and if they can coexist two at a time.

    My MAIN concern, I'm just shocked if we were picking guard, choosing Nolan Traore when Jakucionis was right there, he was an absolute steal and it would've made a lot more sense going point guard back to back in that situation.

  4. 6:00 so now we have to pretend like Malluach doesnt have a high ceiling to make Marks draft pick look better? Oh boy. His ceiling is a healthy Porzingus, in what way Is that lower than Egor?

  5. Is he a bust or a hall of famer? We'll tell you before he ever takes a single dribble on LON lol! We gotta slow down a bit on the judgement of the guys career. But I am hopeful. Lets go Eggs!

  6. I like Ben Saraf he’s crafty with the ball but I see him as a 2 guard tho He’s 6’6 19yo Lefty that can shoot dribble and pass and plays with in himself and with poise lookin at film on him you kinda forget he’s only 19 i really like that pick hope he pans out!

  7. Egor is talented. No doubt. The Nets selecting him at #8 just to select 2 more PGs, tells me they view him as a project. I still believe we should have picked Khaman, but time will tell

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