Armed with five first-round picks entering Wednesday’s draft, the Nets have used the first of them – No. 8 – on BYU’s Egor Demin.
It’s the first major surprise of the night, as Demin was just outside the top 10 in most mock drafts leading up to the draft.
At 6’9″, Demin has the length of a forward but the skill set of a guard — ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has referred to him as the best passer in this year’s draft class, noting that the 19-year-old’s combination of size and play-making ability is rare.
Demin, who was born in Russia, played for Real Madrid’s B squad in Spain before making the move to BYU for the 2024/25 season. He was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 27.5 minutes per game across 33 starts, with a shooting line of .412/.273/.695.
On paper, Demin makes sense for a Nets team that is virtually a blank slate. Brooklyn was competitive under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez despite the 26-56 record, but the team doesn’t have cornerstone player to build around right now. Even if they re-sign Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, the Nets have the room to take swings on high-upside players.
Brooklyn also doesn’t have a true point guard on the roster. Demin provides lead-guard intrigue with his passing ability, though it will be interesting to see how he scores at the NBA level.
This is the second pick that has surprised me so far this evening. This seems like a stretch, but clearly they really believe in him.
Speaking of Brooklyn, Egor def reminds me of the guy from Anora. This is way to high for him tho.
I don’t know who that is, but I don’t want to say who he most resembles…
In all seriousness, I’m stoked about taking this big swing.
I am surprised at how far Jakucionis is sliding however.
You should watch Anora, great movie.
He should get plenty of run to help develop. Nets are going to stink and they haven’t been a strong player development organization.
I guess when you have 5 1st round picks you can do this.
He’ll be a star just like BYU’s Jimmer.
PHEW!!!!
He has a lot of Josh Giddey to his game.