Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Egor Demin made his NBA regular season debut in Wednesday’s 136-117 season-opening loss at the Charlotte Hornets where he was able to show part of his game. Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez chose to bring Demin off the bench as the team is being cautious with his minutes, but the former BYU Cougar looked on his debut in a positive manner.
“This is something I’ve been working all summer, honestly. I wouldn’t call it like I got into the rhythm like this is something I would expect from myself going on from here,” Demin said to the media following the loss. Demin was speaking on the fact that he shot 4-of-6 from three-point range and was one of the lone bright spots in what was the first blowout of the season for the Nets.
“Saying some more about just the rhythm, I think I’m getting into better conditions,” Demin continued. “I get stronger and I feel better playing against athletes like this, feeling more confident on defense. Obviously, there’s a lot of room to work on things like playing against pressure, not losing the ball, being under control, trying to organize the team better and try to be a leader. But, I think we’re in the right path.”
Demin played 22 minutes against the Hornets on Wednesday and put up a solid stat line of 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting like he did from three-point land. As Demin mentioned, ball security and defense will be the biggest areas of growth for him as he came away from this game with two turnovers and three fouls, showing that his development as a point guard is still in the early stages.
However, Demin appears to have answered one of the biggest questions in his draft profile when it comes to his ability to play off the ball and stretch the defense as he has shot the ball well since the Las Vegas Summer League in July. Ultimately, Demin will have to be more than a long-range shooter if he is going to prove that he was worth the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but he’s off to a solid start so far.