Brooklyn’s rough start took another hit Thursday, when the Nets announced that Egor Demin will be reevaluated in one week after being diagnosed with a right leg bone bruise.
Demin left Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics in the second quarter and never came back. After the game, he tried to calm any concern, saying the injury was “nothing serious.”
“I'll be good. It’s nothing serious.
I’ll be ready to go,” Demin told reporters. “I just got hit, got kneed in kind of like a muscle, bone area… Now it feels better than it did right away.
Here's the full sequence leading up to Egor Demin's exit. From what I can see, he may have bumped knees with Paul George while guarding his drive.
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 28, 2026
Egor is out for the rest of the game. The Nets are calling it a right-leg contusion. pic.twitter.com/hddspInmJh
I think I’ll be ready in a couple of days.”
The setback comes at a time when Demin has not yet found his rhythm early in the season. He had two points on 1-of-3 shooting, plus one rebound, two assists and one turnover in 10 minutes against Boston before exiting. Through Brooklyn’s first three games, he was averaging 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers while shooting 8-of-26 from the field and 6-of-19 from three.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez had already outlined the areas where he wants more from Demin before Tuesday’s game. Fernandez pointed to aggression, paint touches, decision-making, defense and physicality, while stressing that the 20-year-old still has plenty of room to grow.
“I think that him being aggressive has been a point of emphasis throughout the summer, and I think he's done a good job. He's more comfortable handling and getting into the paint and making decisions from there,” Fernandez said.
“There's still a lot of [room for] growth, but I think that he's gotten better. We all know how real the shooting is.
I think he showed that in Cleveland with [that fourth quarter] run, which he was a big part of. And then defensively, physicality, finding the spots and technique, knowing where and how he needs to do it.
And again, I think he's gotten better, and now every game is more reps for him to embrace all those scenarios.”
Fernandez also zeroed in on Demin’s ability to turn drives into something meaningful. That’s been a mixed area to start the season, even after a much stronger showing as a driver in Summer League. Demin is 3-of-8 from two-point range in his first four games, and he went 7-of-20 in the preseason.
“You touch the paint, obviously you can spray it for your teammate to shoot a good shot or you finish at the rim, dump-off, so forth. I think all those reads [have been focuses],” Fernandez said of Demin's driving.
“One of the conversations that I've had with him is that last year I felt like everything went a thousand miles an hour [for him]. And right now, one year in, with more games under his belt, it feels like he has more control of what he can see or what he sees or doesn't see.
So again, we're going to keep working with him and encourage him to keep doing the things that he does very well, but also keep improving in all those areas.”
Brooklyn also had to adjust its backcourt mix against Boston. Sophomore point guard Nolan Traore stepped into the starting lineup in place of veteran Keon Ellis, and Ellis could end up back in that role with Demin out.
Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. logged a season-high 28 minutes and gave the Nets a lift with 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, though Fernandez made it clear after the game that Brown will not be removed from his minutes limit “any time soon.”
That leaves Fernandez with a few more guard decisions to sort through. Veteran Terance Mann could get a look with the second unit, while sophomores Drake Powell and Ben Saraf remain available as backcourt options.
Egor Demin on his leg injury:
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 28, 2026
“It’s nothing serious. I’ll be ready to go… I just got kneed in the muscle/bone area… Now it feels better. I think I’ll be ready in a couple of days.” pic.twitter.com/9II4h4n4z2
The Nets are back on the floor Friday against the Detroit Pistons.
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The Nets are already making another adjustment to their backcourt rotation after Egor Dmin was diagnosed with a right leg bone bruise and sent for a re-evaluation in one week. Head coach Jordi Fernndez said Dmin is in good spirits and there is no concern about a long-term issue, but the timing still matters for a team that has been trying to sort out its guard minutes early in the season. Brooklyn also quietly reinforced its long view on the young core by picking up third-year team options for the 2027-28 season on Dmin, Nolan Traor, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.
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