{"id":539994,"date":"2026-01-16T05:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T05:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539994\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T05:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T05:35:30","slug":"egor-demin-opens-up-about-his-year-at-byu-the-rigors-of-big-12-basketball-and-more-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539994\/","title":{"rendered":"Egor Demin opens up about his year at BYU, the rigors of Big 12 basketball and more \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2014 Egor Demin is not your average 19-year-old<\/a>. Not only has the affable and versatile Russian already played for top European club Real Madrid, but he also spent one season at BYU<\/a>, where he earned a spot on the 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team and set a program record for freshmen with 180 assists, sixth-most in school history.<\/p>\n

In his 33 games as a Cougar, Demin averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, which led Brooklyn to select him eighth overall<\/a> in the 2025 NBA draft. And even though he only spent one season in Provo, BYU is a place that will always be special to the NBA rookie.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was crucial. Obviously, that was my goal, to find a college where I would be able to build this foundation, a foundation for American basketball and transition from European and youth basketball to a professional league in America like the NBA, where it\u2019s obviously very different,\u201d Demin said prior to a mid-January Nets road game at Dallas. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a goal to find that place where I\u2019d be able to find this development in the right way that\u2019s going to help me adapt to American basketball, which is better and faster. And KY (BYU head coach Kevin Young) being from the NBA and building at BYU this NBA system for younger kids, it was crucial. I have no doubt it was the right place for me to go for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only did the great coaching he received from Young and his staff benefit him immensely, but Demin remains grateful for how well the BYU fans treated him as a newcomer and for their continued support. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, the BYU fans are a very special part of that organization. I really loved the environment,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people are amazing and I can\u2019t wait to get back there to watch games, not just basketball. That\u2019s what BYU is about. Last year, I went to a volleyball game and felt like I was at Marriott Center playing my own game. Fans were supporting me, I was just a fan. It\u2019s really, really cool and I think BYU fans are very, very cool. I miss that environment a lot. I loved it so much. It\u2019s impacted my game and team for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU guard Egor Demin (3) gets off a shot during a game against Utah at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, March 8, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News <\/p>\n

And the ex-Cougar feels that playing before hostile crowds in the Big 12 at places like Arizona, Houston and Iowa State also helped prepare him for the sort of reception he\u2019d receive on the road as an NBA rookie. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat was also a big factor,\u201d Demin said. \u201cTeams like Houston and Iowa State, who have always been some of the top teams and the more physical ones, again, it\u2019s about adaptation and transition from European basketball, which has less contact, to play against teams that are very mature and very physical.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was important that BYU is in a league like that. A lot of really close games and a lot of really good teams against older guys who are not professional yet, but it wasn\u2019t that big of a jump. It helped me, especially being a primary point guard as a freshman. Handling the ball against guys who are trying to steal it from me was very helpful, even though sometimes I had trouble. But that helped me learn so now I can play against even better athletes with more confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through 33 games with Brooklyn this season, he is averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Demin has scored a career-high 23 points twice, most recently on Dec. 29, 2025, against Golden State. His other 23-point game came against Philadelphia on Nov. 28, when he set another career high with nine rebounds.<\/p>\n

And his current coach, Jordi Fernandez, who had extensive international experience before coming to the NBA in 2009, has already seen plenty to like about Demin, on and off the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis consistency as a person (stands out most). He listens. He asks questions,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cHe is going to go out there and try his best. His verticalities, his deflections, that stands out. (He\u2019s) playing that team defense. Offensively, he is a really good playmaker, especially at finding the 3-point line for others. His shot looks great. Very happy with the production, but extremely happy with the person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, playing in the NBA is a full-time job, especially for rookies, who must resemble a sponge to absorb the often-dizzying amount of information thrown at them to ensure their success, but Demin still finds time to keep up with how the Cougars are faring this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re obviously a way different team. KY, he\u2019s a professional. He\u2019s a true coach who can find a way for every player to reach their goals,\u201d Demin said. \u201cI\u2019m super happy for him having players like AJ (Dybantsa)<\/a> and obviously the older guys who were there last year like Richie (Saunders)<\/a> and Keba (Keita)<\/a>. They look awesome. I\u2019ve seen a couple of games fully.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHis consistency as a person (stands out most). He listens. He asks questions. He is going to go out there and try his best. His verticalities, his deflections, that stands out. (He\u2019s) playing that team defense. Offensively, he is a really good playmaker, especially at finding the 3-point line for others. His shot looks great. Very happy with the production, but extremely happy with the person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez on Egor Demin<\/p>\n

He even got to see BYU in person when they played Clemson down the road from Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI even went to Madison Square Garden (in December), which was amazing for me to get there and see them play in real life against Clemson. I\u2019m really proud of what they are building right now,\u201d Demin said. \u201cThe first year, everybody was figuring it out and now, the second year of KY\u2019s era, they are obviously taking even bigger steps towards being a successful organization centered on development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in Russia, he remembers watching his father, Vladimir, play professionally and looking up to him and his teammates along with fellow Russians already in the NBA like Andrei Kirilenko, who played for the Jazz from 2001 through 2011<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t really into basketball as much when Kirilenko was playing. I\u2019ve played basketball my whole life, but it was more like a hobby until the moment I said that I want to be a professional basketball player,\u201d Demin said. \u201cI\u2019d been watching some NBA. My dad was playing for (BC) Khimki and I was at every game. (Alexey) Shved was one I was already (watching). He was big time at that moment and still, he\u2019s one of the most talented players born in Russia ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BrooklynBrooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin (8) celebrates after making a 3-point shot during a game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in New York. | AP <\/p>\n

And when he made his NBA debut<\/a> on Oct. 22, 2025, at Charlotte, he became the 11th Russian-born player in NBA history, obviously a huge achievement. \u201cIt means a lot, especially because I know how many more guys can get here after me. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s going to be so many more of them,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s a very important goal to make sure that guys know that they can make it here and show them it\u2019s not impossible and that it\u2019s very, very real and if you really want it, it can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in terms of great situations to walk into as an NBA rookie, Brooklyn could not be a better fit, as he is one of six rookies, which means his rookie duties, those rites of passage every rookie must endure, which only include getting snacks and playing cards for road trips, are light. But having five other rookies sharing the experience of learning the ropes in the association clearly has its benefits. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just got a bunch of (playing) cards for the rest of the year. I just have to remember to bring them (to the plane),\u201d Demin joked. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool. We can learn from each other, we can teach each other different things. We\u2019ve all been playing at different levels and are at different stages and different ages, that\u2019s very cool because we can combine not just the talent but the knowledge within the team and within us as rookies. It\u2019s a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas. <\/p>\n

\"\"Brooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin, center, shoots the three point shot as Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul George, left, defending during game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Philadelphia. | AP \"\"Brooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin (8) shoots over Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) during game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. | AP \"\"BYU guard Egor Demin holds the follow through of a 3-point shot against Kansas during game, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Provo, Utah. | AP \"\"Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left, drives past Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) during game, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in New York. | AP \"\"Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin brings the ball upcourt during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. | AP \"\"Brooklyn Nets guard Egor D\u00ebmin (8) brings the ball down court against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Las Vegas. | AP \"EgorEgor Demin poses with young fans at the NBA draft Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. | Nate Edwards \"EgorEgor Demin poses for a picture with Travis Hansen after being selected No. 8 overall in the NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | Nate Edwards \"FormerFormer BYU guard Egor Demin fields questions from the media after being selected with the No. 8 pick by by the Brooklyn Nets at the NBA draft Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | Nate Edwards \"EgorEgor Demin receives a hug from Travis Hansen after being selected No. 8 overall in the NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | Nate Edwards \"\"BYU point guard Egor Demin talks during a press conference about his plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Travis Hansen, a former BYU basketball player and mentor to Demin, is on the left. BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young is on the right. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News \"\"BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) controls the ball while guarded by Wisconsin Badgers guard Max Klesmit (11) during a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) pulls up for a shot while guarded by Wisconsin Badgers guard Max Klesmit (11) during a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS \u2014 Egor Demin is not your average 19-year-old. Not only has the affable and versatile Russian already…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,670,247,3803,6,671,1111],"class_list":{"0":"post-539994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-nets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-nets","11":"tag-brooklynnets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nets","14":"tag-news-feed-local"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115903157819791319","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}