Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Dëmin gave Nets fans a loose, funny snapshot of who they are away from the floor during NBA 2K27’s “Deflected,” a game built around awkward questions, quick reactions and plenty of trash talk.
The format is simple: while the players face off in 2K, they have to answer uncomfortable questions. Score and you’re safe.
Get scored on and you have to respond. That setup produced a string of entertaining moments for Porter and Dëmin as the questions drifted from basketball to teammates and life away from the arena.
Dëmin’s most memorable answer came when he was asked about the worst argument he’s ever had with a coach. He went back to his childhood in Russia, when he was playing with kids a year older than him before returning to his own age group to help the team in a tournament.
He said the coach came down on him during the game, and he eventually walked off and sat next to his mother in the stands. Dëmin said he was about 12 years old, and that the same thing happened twice with that team.
His mother wasn’t happy, but she didn’t know what had led to it. The story still ended on a high note: Dëmin said the team won the tournament and he collected multiple MVP awards.
Porter got involved when Dëmin was asked which teammate would have the toughest time handling a normal 9-to-5 job. Dëmin immediately picked Danny Wolf, saying Wolf would have a hard time sitting still for eight hours. Dëmin also wasn’t sure six-hour shifts at a snow cone stand counted as a true 9-to-5, and that sparked a pretty funny back-and-forth between the two.
There was also a wild off-court story from Dëmin about an event where he showed up dressed as an avatar. Porter said Dëmin went all out and spent about four hours putting the whole thing together.
The night took a turn after that, though, when Dëmin was dropped off in the wrong part of Brownsville around 1 a.m. He ended up calling Terance Mann, who kept the message short: “You better stay alive out there,” Mann told him.
Dëmin also had to answer which teammate he wouldn’t let date his sister. He chose Ben Saraf, saying Saraf is young and likes being single.
Not every question stayed centered on the Nets. When asked which former NBA player turned analyst talks the most, Porter named Austin Rivers, while Dëmin eventually landed on Kendrick Perkins.
One of the funniest moments came when Dëmin had to call a teammate and tell him he missed him, with no explanation. He dialed Mann, even though they had seen each other the night before.
“I just miss you, dog,” Dëmin said. Mann immediately pushed back on why he was getting the call at all, but the exchange turned warm by the end, with both players saying “I love you” before hanging up.
Dëmin also made sure the video game results got their own spotlight. After the matchup, he wanted it clear that he had handled business on the virtual court.
“I came here and took care of business,” Dëmin said.
The episode also drew attention for the chemistry between Dëmin and Porter, along with the easy bond between Dëmin and Mann.
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Brooklyn clearly made a series of moves aimed at giving the roster a new look, yet the early reaction around the team has not matched that level of activity. A recent fan poll showed a majority expecting the Nets to land near the bottom of the Eastern Conference anyway, which says plenty about how much skepticism still lingers as the franchise tries to turn all those offseason changes into something more convincing. [Read more 🡒]
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For a young player trying to carve out a bigger role, that kind of focus is a good sign for Brooklyn. Dmin talked about the value of building relationships with teammates and keeping a healthy balance between body and mind during the offseason, which is the sort of foundation teams hope to see from players heading into a pivotal year. The Nets will be watching closely to see how that preparation translates once the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]