John Hollinger’s All-Breakout Team just got a Brooklyn flavor.
On Friday, The Athletic’s NBA analyst included Nets guard Egor Dëmin on his list of 12 players, putting the second-year guard alongside names like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. For Brooklyn, it was another nod to what has become one of the clearest bright spots in a draft class Hollinger described as depressing.
Dëmin’s rise has been hard to miss. After left-foot plantar fasciitis cut his rookie season short in March, he used the extra offseason time to add muscle and put in long hours in the gym.
By the time Summer League arrived, the 20-year-old looked like a different player. One of Brooklyn’s better 3-point shooters had become far more dangerous going downhill.
That change showed up immediately in his attack. Dëmin made a point of getting into the paint, and his efficiency jumped with it. In two California Classic appearances, he was perfect from inside the arc.
The real takeaway is how much more complete his game looks now. At 6-foot-8, Dëmin is no longer boxed into living on the perimeter. He can punish bad closeouts, get to scoring spots inside, or turn those drives into clean passes for open teammates.
Hollinger also pointed to the fit with Julius Randle, suggesting the veteran’s playmaking could boost Dëmin’s long-range game even more. Randle has averaged at least five assists in four of his past six seasons, and he’s already started strong after handing out seven assists in Brooklyn’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
That kind of growth matters for a Nets team leaning heavily on its young talent. Brooklyn has seven first-round picks on the roster competing for minutes in Jordi Fernández’s rotation, but Dëmin is the one who has separated himself.
It’s a notable turnaround for a player who entered the league with questions. Sean Marks took a swing by drafting Dëmin eighth overall, and the BYU product initially struggled badly from deep and at the line, shooting 27.3% on 4.7 three-point attempts per game and 69.5% on 2.5 free throws.
Then came the rookie-season reset. Dëmin came back and shot 38.5% from beyond the arc, while leading Brooklyn’s 2025 draft class with 10.6 points.
That kind of production is exactly what the Nets need as they look for immediate help. Dëmin is still on a rookie contract, and Brooklyn won’t have to think about a possible extension until 2028-29, when his fourth-year team option can be exercised.
He got off to a rough start this season, though. In the opener against the Hornets, Dëmin finished with four points on 2-for-10 shooting, drawing early fan criticism.
But it’s only Game 1 of 82, and Brooklyn has every reason to believe the bigger story is still ahead. If Hollinger’s pick proves right, Dëmin could end up being much more than a draft class standout.
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For Brooklyn, the matchup brings a few familiar stress points into focus at once. Containing Donovan Mitchell is never simple, and the Nets are also trying to sort through how their young pieces fit in at the start of the year. Egor Demin did not make a three-pointer in the opener, while rookie Mikel Brown Jr. showed flashes in his debut, leaving the Nets with both reasons for patience and reasons to demand a cleaner showing soon. [Read more 🡒]