The Brooklyn Nets are counting on another jump from their young core, and Egor Dëmin sits right near the center of that conversation.
Among the eight players Brooklyn has added across the last two NBA Drafts, Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. stand out as the most intriguing names. Dëmin, in particular, has already flashed enough to make people around the team believe there’s more coming. He was the most consistent member of the Flatbush Five last season, and his offseason work has only sharpened that buzz.
Workout clips have shown Dëmin scoring against other NBA talent, and his Summer League run backed up the idea that he’s taken a real step forward. In Las Vegas, he looked more polished as a scorer, getting points at all three levels and attacking for better shots with more purpose.
That’s exactly the kind of progress ESPN’s Zach Cram says Brooklyn wants to see in year two.
"Egor Demin was by far the best [rookie on the Brooklyn Nets] last season... The Nets will have more offensive talent next to him this season... and they'd love to see Demin expand his offensive repertoire to take the next step as an NBA player," Kram wrote.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes was just as bullish, picking Dëmin as the Nets’ best player three years from now.
"Dëmin shot 38.5 percent from deep last season and showed all the connective passing Brooklyn hoped for," Hughes wrote. "A Summer League performance that saw Dëmin flash rapidly developing on-ball skills and scoring chops inside the arc puts him over the top."
Beecham also said Dëmin looked out of place in the Summer League, which was the point for Brooklyn’s front office.
As a rookie, Dëmin turned himself into a surprisingly efficient 3-point shooter and changed the story that followed him out of BYU. His biggest night from deep came in late December against the Golden State Warriors, when he hit seven 3-pointers for a Nets rookie record. A week later, he stayed hot against the Orlando Magic, drilling five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime to fuel a comeback.
With more offensive talent now around him, Dëmin should get more chances to operate off the ball and take on a more aggressive scoring role.
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