BYU basketball is home to a rising star, and he goes by Egor.
The Cougars, led by Kevin Young, are 4-0 to open the 2024-25 season (as expected) and Egor Demin is exceeding the already towering expectations of the Moscow native. Though his counting stats may not pop off the page, he takes over the game every time he steps onto the floor.
When I say "takes over the game", please don't misunderstand. In the age of ball-hog glorification, most NBA prospects spend the entire game in isolation sets, tormenting the defender with a constant scoring threat and a refusal to trust in his teammates. Demin has weaponized himself in ways you'd never expect from a player his age.
He's like the inspector gadget of basketball--he's got a gizmo for every situation on the court, and he's happy to show them off. Send a double team? He'll hit the open man, regardless of location. Try to catch him in a defensive net? He has an aptitude for finding the hole in your trap and slice through with a flawless read. Play the passing lanes? He's efficient from distance and an enforcer at the rim.
Here's the bottom line: you can't stop him; you can only hope to contain him.
It's no wonder that after only four games, he's already receiving top 5 buzz in his NBA Draft class, even though he would be among names like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper.
Though he was projected to land in the lottery long before arriving in Provo, Demin (not denim, to those of you who are still confused), was recently projected as the fourth overall pick by Bleacher Report. In this scenario, the BYU product would land with the local Utah Jazz.
I'm sure Cougar fans wouldn't mind if he stuck around the Beehive State.
“Egor Demin can be a franchise type player” - NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock pic.twitter.com/Hed3pzL6zD
— Church Ball: A BYU Hoops Pod (@churchballpod) November 20, 2024
We're still early into the season, and how Egor adapts to in-conference competition among the Big 12's giants will speak volumes to how prepared he is to take that next step.