Egor Dëmin’s return to Utah wasn’t just a homecoming-it was a record-breaking night that showed just how far he’s come since his college days at BYU.
On Friday night against the Jazz, the Brooklyn Nets rookie made NBA history by becoming the first rookie ever to hit a three-pointer in 34 consecutive games. That’s not just a hot streak-that’s consistency at a level we rarely see from first-year players, especially ones who weren’t known for their shooting stroke coming into the league.
Let’s rewind for a second. At BYU, Dëmin shot just 27.3% from beyond the arc during his freshman season.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of stat line that screams “future sharpshooter.” But here we are, just months into his NBA career, and he’s flipped the script entirely.
He’s now hitting 39.7% from deep and just knocked down his 100th career three-pointer-against his old Utah crowd, no less.
And he didn’t just sneak past that milestone. He made a statement.
Dëmin lit it up in the first quarter, going 3-for-5 from three, and stayed aggressive all night. By the final buzzer, he had poured in a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. He finished 6-of-12 from deep, showing both volume and efficiency-two things that don’t always go hand-in-hand for rookies.
So, what’s the secret behind this transformation? According to Dëmin, it’s not some magic formula or mechanical overhaul. It’s just old-school hard work.
“Shooting the ball, pretty much as simple as it is,” he said. “Just being in the gym and shooting the ball.”
That kind of grind-it-out mentality is exactly what’s made Dëmin such a compelling early story this season. He’s not just producing-he’s evolving in real time.
Friday night’s game also marked a meaningful return to Utah for Dëmin, who spent his lone college season at BYU. Before the game, he spoke about what it meant to be back in front of a familiar crowd.
“It feels awesome. Super excited to be back here,” he said.
“Obviously, expecting a lot of BYU colors tonight. Just super grateful to be back here.”
And the support showed up-literally. Around 30 people came out specifically for him, many of them from his BYU circle. That kind of loyalty says a lot about the culture he was part of in Provo.
“A lot of people know how united the BYU organization is in general,” Dëmin said. “Not just basketball, or just football, or whatever it is, but the whole sports together. I’ve been lucky enough to end up in that school and gain so many friends and so many people around me who want the best for me and who I want the best for.”
Dëmin also gave a nod to BYU head coach Kevin Young, whose NBA background was a major selling point when he took the job. The idea was that Young could turn BYU into a real pipeline for NBA-ready talent.
And Dëmin? He’s the first proof of concept.
“He’s an NBA coach, so he taught me in this one year basically whatever I have to know to be able to play at the NBA level,” Dëmin said. “Maybe not even as much skill set-wise, because at the end of the day, you get to the league and you just be yourself.
That’s kind of the goal. But he taught a lot of knowledge, that I come here and I’m ready to play, and I know what we’re doing, and I have an idea of what it is.
He gave me this kind of base of an NBA player.”
That foundation is clearly paying off. Dëmin has started all 34 games for the Nets this season and will be representing Brooklyn in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game-a well-deserved nod for a player who’s quickly becoming one of the league’s most intriguing rookies.
So, yes, Egor Dëmin came back to Utah. But he didn’t just return-he arrived.