NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin has not had any issues speaking his mind to the media about certain topics since being taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn’s initial first-round pick is being looked at as the highlight of the class, but he took some time to address the criticism that some people have of the class as a whole.

“I think that’s something we shouldn’t be talking about really. I believe there’s always going to be some sort of hate from the outside, same as there’s going to be support,” Demin said during Nets Media Day when asked if he and his fellow rookies have talked about those criticisms. One of the main criticisms of Brooklyn’s draft class is the fact that general manager Sean Marks and company drafted at least three players who need the ball in their hands.

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“For us, it was just important to focus on what we have and to step one step ahead and one day at a time,” Demin continued. “I don’t think anybody from all five of us or the whole organization or the team were ever even really thinking about it.”

Demin, along with guard Nolan Traore (19th overall pick), forward Drake Powell (22nd), guard Ben Saraf (26th), and forward Danny Wolf (27th), will be looked at to potentially be the future of a Nets team still in the rebuilding process. More to the point, Demin is arguably the most-criticized member of Brooklyn’s class given that many NBA Draft experts had him being selected later in the first round than where the Nets took him.

As of this writing, Demin (plantar fasciitis) and Powell (left knee tendinopathy) are dealing with injuries as training camp is progressing so there is a chance that both of them start the season behind the curve as a result. However, with Brooklyn expected to be one of the worst teams in the league during the 2025-26 season, Demin and company will have to show some growth to avoid the increased scrutiny coming their way.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Egor Demin talks criticism of Brooklyn’s 2025 NBA Draft class