The Brooklyn Nets still don’t have a win, but Friday night in Cleveland gave them something to point to from one of their younger pieces. Egor Dëmin, the second-year guard out of BYU, answered back after a rough opener and looked far more like the player Brooklyn needs him to be.
Dëmin had a tough start to the season in the Nets’ loss to the Charlotte Hornets, going just 2-of-10 from the field and missing all five of his 3-point attempts. With Mikel Brown Jr. on a minutes restriction to open the year, that kind of performance put even more pressure on Dëmin to handle the ball for Brooklyn alongside Keon Ellis and Julius Randle.
Against the Cavaliers, though, he bounced back in a big way. Dëmin scored 22 points and knocked down five 3-pointers, giving the Nets a much cleaner look on offense. He looked more at ease with the ball in his hands and also took advantage of several catch-and-shoot chances.
His best stretch came late, when he heated up and helped Brooklyn chip away in the fourth quarter. The comeback effort didn’t get all the way home, but Dëmin’s night still stood out as a sign of progress.
The shot-making was only part of it. Dëmin also showed improvement as a passer, using his drives to create looks for shooters on the perimeter. His best delivery came in a pick-and-roll with Randle, when he slipped a pocket pass to the rolling forward, leading to an and-one finish through contact.
Before the season, Dëmin was already being mentioned as a breakout candidate. ESPN’s Zach Kram highlighted his potential this way: "Egor Demin was by far the best [rookie on the Brooklyn Nets] last season..."
Kram wrote. "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,"
As Brown works his way back to full health, Brooklyn will need Dëmin to keep attacking as a driver and keep punishing defenses from deep if it wants to start stacking early wins.
In Other News...
Nets Already Face A Tough Michael Porter Jr Decision
Michael Porter Jr. gave Brooklyn an immediate reminder of why the Nets brought him in, scoring 26 points in the opener and giving the offense a needed jolt. He also looked the part of a wing the Nets can lean on, contributing across the board as Brooklyn opened the season with a clearer sense of his value on the floor than it has had since the move.
The harder question is what comes next, because Porter is playing on an expiring deal and the front office has to decide whether to make him part of the long-term picture or use him as a trade asset before his contract situation becomes even more complicated. A strong start only sharpens the dilemma for Brooklyn, which now has to weigh present production against the cost and uncertainty of keeping him beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Are Taking A Cautious Approach With Mikel Brown Jr
Mikel Brown Jr. has only just started to ease back into the Nets rotation after the ankle injury he dealt with in the preseason, and Brooklyn is clearly not rushing the process. The rookie guard came off the bench for 20 minutes in each of the teams first two games, but the organization has put him on a minutes limit as he continues to work his way back.
Jordi Fernandez said that restriction is not about a quick ramp-up, which helps explain why Brown is expected to sit out the next game. For a Nets team trying to build continuity early, the approach fits with the broader rotation choices Fernandez made in the opener, when Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf did not play as Brooklyn focused on the current group. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Already Face A Tough Early Test They Can't Afford To Flunk
The first week of the season has already handed Brooklyn a reminder that early losses can carry extra weight, especially when the margin for error is thin. The Nets dropped their opener to the Hornets, and now the attention turns to how they respond against a Cleveland group that is trying to steady itself after blowing a huge lead in its own opener, with Kenny Atkinson admitting the Cavaliers struggled once the pressure ramped up.
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 🡒]