The Brooklyn Nets have a real choice to make in Las Vegas: keep Egor Dëmin on the floor as they chase a Summer League title, or pull the plug now and protect a player who already looks like part of their future.
There’s a case for letting him keep rolling. Dëmin has been outstanding, and the Nets have every reason to like what they’re seeing from a 20-year-old who appears to be taking a clear step forward.
Through four games in the 2026 Summer slate - two at the California Classic and two in Las Vegas - he’s putting up 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals per game while logging less than 24 minutes a night. That kind of production in limited run makes the numbers pop even harder.
The shooting line is solid across the board, too. Dëmin is hitting 50% from the field, 27.6% from deep and 82.4% at the line. His three-point percentage is down from his rookie season, when he shot 38.5% over 52 games, but the volume was there then, and that still points to a player who can stay reliable from outside.
What makes this stretch more impressive is the backdrop. Dëmin came into Summer League after a season-ending plantar fasciitis injury and hadn’t played in a real game since late February. Even with that layoff, he has looked better than he did as a rookie, and a lot of that shows up in how composed he’s been with the ball.
That was the big question coming in. As a rookie, he posted roughly a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. This summer, he’s at 1.5 turnovers per game with four assists per game, and that cleaner decision-making may have been the last box the Nets wanted checked before deciding whether to ease off his workload.
He had already flashed improved scoring off the dribble and tighter defense on the ball. But until Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, he hadn’t topped five assists in a game or put together a turnover-free outing. Against the Kings, he answered both concerns at once, finishing with eight assists and no turnovers.
That matters for Brooklyn, especially with Mikel Brown Jr. now on the roster. Dëmin doesn’t have to carry the entire playmaking load, but if he keeps showing the passing ability that made him such an intriguing draft pick, it gives the Nets’ offense another layer.
At this point, Dëmin looks like a strong bet to be a high-quality starter when the season begins. The only question left is whether Brooklyn wants to keep exposing him to live action in Summer League, or decide that what they’ve already seen is enough.
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Nets Young Core Makes Loud Summer Statement In Blowout Of Kings
The Nets summer group did more than just win a July game against Sacramento, it announced itself early and then kept the pressure on. Egor Dmin set the tone with 16 points in the first period and was already up to 20 by halftime, while Mikel Brown Jr. and Drake Powell gave Brooklyn more of the kind of balanced scoring and activity teams hope to see from a young roster trying to sort out its next layer of talent.
Brooklyn never really let the Kings breathe after that opening push, and the result was a blowout that felt as much about pace and poise as it did about shot-making. Sacramento had its own bright spot in Darius Acuff, who led all scorers with 26 points and added five assists, but the bigger question for the Nets is whether this kind of summer showing can carry over once the games start to count and the competition gets a lot less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
The Nets Have One Problem They Must Solve Before 2027
Brooklyns offseason has already brought a different look, with Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. headlining the additions as the Nets start shaping a roster aimed at the 2027 season. The front office has clearly tried to add more talent, but the bigger question is whether those moves can help lift an offense that struggled badly a year ago and never found enough consistency to keep pace.
The most obvious issue remains the shot profile. Brooklyn took plenty of 3s last season, but the results were far too often empty possessions, and the teams perimeter efficiency dragged down the rest of the attack. If the Nets are going to move from rebuilding mode toward the postseason conversation, improving that one area may matter as much as any individual addition. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Guard Nolan Traore Offers Encouraging Injury Update
Nolan Traores summer has been more about the training room than the court, but the early signs around the Nets guard are still encouraging. Brooklyn has been monitoring his recovery closely after he was held out of summer league action, and the organization has continued to frame his rehab as moving in the right direction.
Sean Marks said Traore is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, which matters because the rookie guard is in the mix for minutes at point guard when the season opens. With Mikel Brown Jr. and Ben Saraf also in that competition, Traores availability could shape how quickly Brooklyn sorts out its backcourt rotation. [Read more 🡒]