Egor Demin was the first of one-and-done members of the “NBA pipeline” BYU coach Kevin Young vowed to build in Provo. The 6-foot-9 guard had a solid freshman season for the Cougars last year and went on to become the No. 8 pick in last year’s NBA draft.
Through 49 games played, Egor is well past the halfway mark of his rookie season, and there are enough data points now to evaluate how his first NBA campaign is going. When it comes to determining how good — or bad– an NBA rookie is faring, there needs to be some sort of objective criteria to judge them against. Simply looking at his stats and concluding how favorable they are misses the main point for NBA rookies: It all depends on where they were drafted.
Reasonable expectations for Egor’s first professional season should be based on how other No. 8 overall picks have performed in their rookie seasons. Here’s how Demin’s rookie production stacks up against the last 10 players selected at No. 8 going back to the 2015 draft.
We’ll use true shooting percentage (TS) as the metric to judge offensive efficiency since that weights 2-point field goals versus 3-point field goals and includes free throw percentage. We’ll also use Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) as objective advanced metrics.
Here are Egor Demin’s stats thus far with the Nets:
49 Gs, 25.2 MPG, 10.7 PTS, 3.2 REB, 3.3 AST; 54.6% TS, 11.6 PER, 0.2 VORP
2015 – Stanley Johnson, forward
Rookie stats: 73 Gs, 23.1 MPG, 8.1 PTS, 4.2 REB, 1.6 AST; 46.0% TS, 8.7 PER, -0.5 VORP
The Arizona product had a productive rookie season for the Detroit Pistons. His eight-year NBA career was primarily as a reserve player who averaged 6.2 points over 19.8 minutes per game. So far, Egor’s rookie season is a bit better than Johnson’s 2015 campaign.
Egor’s performance: Better
Feb 6, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Stanley Johnson (34) looks to pass the ball against Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
2016 – Marquese Chriss, power forward
Rookie stats: 82 Gs, 21.3 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.7 APG; 52.9% TS, 12.3 PER, -0.1 VORP
The Washington big man had the unfortunate circumstance of being drafted by the dysfunctional Sacramento Kings, but even then he had a good rookie season. His per-minute averages for scoring (9.1 PPG) and rebounding (4.2 RPG) were solid, as was his 52.9% true shooting percentage. But Chriss never became more than a role player over his six-year NBA career in which he averaged 7.6 points in 18.3 minutes per game.
Egor’s performance: Similar
2017 – Frank Ntilikina, guard
Rookie stats: 78 Gs, 21.9 MPG, 5.9 PTS, 2.3 REB, 3.2 AST; 43.7% TS, 7.0 PER, -1.3 VORP
This name’s a blast from the past for NBA draftniks as the New York Knicks were largely panned for selecting the Belgian guard. While his NBA career lasted seven seasons, he was only a role player the entire time and went on to average 4.8 points in 17.0 minutes per game.
Egor’s performance: Significantly Better
2018 – Collin Sexton, guard
Rookie stats: 82 Gs, 31.8 MPG, 16.7 PPG, 2.9 REB, 3.0 AST; 52.0% TS, 12.0 PER, -1.8 VORP
Collin Sexton had a tremendous rookie season for the Cleveland Cavaliers and placed fifth in the Rookie of the Year balloting in 2018. Sexton pushed his scoring average to 20.8 points in his sophomore season and 24.8 in his third year in the league. Now in his eighth NBA season he sports a career scoring average of 18.3 points per game.
Egor’s performance: Worse
Apr 6, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) reacts after a three-pointer against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
2019 – Jaxson Hayes, center
Rookie stats: 64 Gs, 16.9 MPG, 7.4 PTS, 4.0 REB, 0.9 AST; 68.9% TS, 17.6 PER; 0.5
The seven-footer was a role player as a rookie on a New Orleans Pelicans team that went 30-42, but his per-minute productivity was solid. His averages of 7.4 points came on extremely efficient shooting (68.9% true shooting) and he rebounded well, too. Now in his seventh NBA season, like many of his predecessors at the No. 8 pick he has been a career role player averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game.
Egor’s performance: Similar
2020 – Obi Toppin, forward
Rookie stats: 62 Gs, 11.0 MPG, 4.1 PTS, 2.2 REB, 0.5 AST; 57.4% TS, 12.7 PER, 0.2 VORP
Situation matters for rookies, and Obi Toppin joined a New York Knicks team that went 41-31 and finished fourth in the East. Coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for playing veterans high minutes, leaving little opportunity for guys like Toppin. He played for a winner, but his impact was small.
Egor’s performance: Significantly Better
2021 – Franz Wagner, forward
Rookie stats: 79 Gs, 30.7 MPG, 15.2 PTS, 4.5 REB, 2.9 AST; 55.9% TS, 14.7 PER, 0.8 VORP
The 6-foot-10 German had a fantastic rookie season for the Orlando Magic and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2021. He also made the All-Rookie Team that year. He has blossomed into a borderline All-Star player but has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons.
Egor’s performance: Worse
Dec 5, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) reacts after a basket against the Miami Heat in the third quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
2022 – Dyson Daniels, guard
Rookie stats: 59 Gs, 17.7 MPG, 3.8 PTS, 3.2 REB, 2.3 AST; 50.3% TS, 8.8 PER, 0.0 VORP
Daniels was a reserve for a 42-40 Pelicans team and made the most of his 17.7 minutes per game as a rookie. He was a versatile player and solid defender, but his offensive game was extremely limited. After two slow seasons to begin his career he blossomed in 2024-25 when he joined the Atlanta Hawks and was named Most Improved Player and First Team All-Defense while leading the league in steals.
Egor’s performance: Better
2023 – Jarace Walker, power forward
Rookie stats: 33 Gs, 10.3 MPG, 3.6 PTS, 1.9 REB, 1.2 AST; 52.7% TS, 11.8 PER, 0.2 VORP
As a rookie Walker struggled to see the court on a very good Pacers team that went 47-35 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Now in his third NBA season he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 24.4 minutes per game.
Egor’s performance: Significantly Better
2024 – Rob Dillingham, point guard
Rookie stats: 49 Gs, 10.5 MPG, 4.5 PTS, 1.0 REB, 2.0 AST; 50.3% TS, 10.2 PER, -0.3 VORP
The Kentucky product struggled to find his footing on a solid Minnesota Timberwolves team that went 49-33 last year and made the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves recently traded him to the Chicago Bulls in the hopes he’ll bounce back on a new team.
Egor’s performance: Significantly Better
The summary
When it comes to rookie performance, situation matters. Egor finds himself in a plumb position with a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets team to play heavy minutes and grow his game in his first year in the NBA. Other former No. 8 picks were also playing a lot for tanking teams while others were sitting the bench for contenders.
But when we just look at the stats and impact made during rookie season for No. 8 picks, Egor Demin is having a really good rookie season.
In my assessment, Demin has been significantly better than four No. 8 picks, better than two, and similar to two. The only two former No. 8 picks to have better rookie campaigns than Egor Demin thus far were Collin Sexton and Franz Wagner.
Egor Demin is off to a great start given where he was drafted.
And he should only get better from here.