Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin may not be the wild card some are making him out to be. After a rookie season that already showed real touch from deep, Demin spent the summer turning heads again, and now the idea of a breakout feels less like a spicy prediction and more like the next logical step.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report put Demin on his list of a “hot take” for all 30 NBA teams, and for Brooklyn, the call was that Demin would break out this season. Hughes also noted that Summer League can be misleading, but said Demin’s development was impossible to miss.
"After shooting 38.5 percent from deep as a rookie and providing exactly the kind of connective passing the Brooklyn Nets hoped for when they picked him at No. 8, Demin flashed offensive dimensions in Vegas that could make him a dangerously complete weapon," Hughes continued.
"Brooklyn targeted multiple guards in the first round last year. It looks like it found at least one true keeper in Demin."
Demin, 20, played 52 games for Brooklyn last season and posted 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 38.5% from three. He then carried that momentum into Summer League, where he averaged 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game across the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. He shot 47.3% from the floor and 28.9% from deep in that stretch.
The challenge now is efficiency. With Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle ahead of him in the offensive pecking order, Demin will need to make his chances count. If the added strength and confidence he showed this summer translate, though, he has a path to scoring in different ways - getting to the free-throw line, finishing more effectively inside the arc and knocking down open threes when they come his way.
In Other News...
Former Nets Are Suddenly Fueling A Painful Brooklyn Debate
The list of NBA free agents still waiting to be spoken for heading into the 2026-27 season has a familiar Brooklyn feel to it. Bruce Brown Jr., Ochai Agbaji and Cam Thomas all show up among the top names still available, a reminder of how much roster turnover can reshape the conversation around a team that once had each of them in the building. Brown sits second overall, Agbaji is fifth and Thomas is tenth, giving the Nets a strange little snapshot of recent history through the lens of the open market.
For Brooklyn, the uncomfortable part is how each case carries its own kind of what-if. Brown has already carved out a reputation as a versatile role player, Agbajis recent path has kept him in the leagues broader evaluation cycle, and Thomas remains one of the more intriguing scoring talents tied to the organizations recent past. Their futures could still branch in different directions, whether that means another NBA stop or, in some cases, a look overseas, but the common thread is impossible to miss: three former Nets are suddenly part of a debate Brooklyn probably would rather not be having. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Suddenly Hinges On One Brutal Michael Porter Jr. Decision
Brooklyns rebuild has reached a familiar crossroads, and Michael Porter Jr. sits right at the center of it. Reports suggesting he could be available ahead of the February trade deadline only sharpen the question the Nets have been circling for weeks: do they cash in one of their few real assets now, or hold onto a player who has become their best option while the roster around him remains thin and still developing?
Porter is on an expiring contract, which makes the calculus even trickier for a team trying to balance the long view with its place in the NBA lottery race. Draft picks would fit the rebuild, but moving him would also leave the Nets even lighter on proven talent, and there are not many young pieces on hand to soften the blow. It is the kind of decision that can shape the rest of the reset, even if the payoff does not fully reveal itself until later. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Fans Have Another Reason To Believe In Mikal Brown Jr
Mikal Brown Jr. is drawing notice for the kind of traits that usually travel well in the NBA, the ones coaches and veterans tend to trust before the box score ever catches up. Donovan Mitchell pointed to Brown Jr.'s detailed understanding of the game and the work behind it, even drawing a comparison to James Harden's mindset, while Rajon Rondo described sharing mentorship moments with him. For a Nets team always looking for the next piece to develop, that sort of praise matters because it suggests Brown Jr. is earning respect in more than one locker room.
What makes the buzz around Brown Jr. feel more than routine offseason flattery is the range of people willing to speak on his behalf. When a player is talked about as a focus for the organization and is already building relationships with established NBA names, it usually says as much about his ceiling as any highlight clip can. The next question for Brooklyn is how that promise translates when the competition gets real, but the early signs around Brown Jr. have given fans another reason to stay interested. [Read more 🡒]