Well... I didn't see that coming.
BYU product and Moscow native, Egor Demin entered the NBA Draft pool to mixed reception. Though some suggested he might slip down the draft board due to his perceived weaknesses, the 6-foot-9 point guard came off the board with the eighth overall selection.
He'll be lacing 'em up for the Brooklyn Nets this season.
8TH PICK. BROOKLYN NETS pic.twitter.com/DaxHdsol8X
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) June 26, 2025
I predicted Demin to rise up the draft boards at the beginning of the month. Of his potential ascent:
"I, along with many of his supporters, see Egor as a playmaking visionary. A player capable of mind-controlling the defense as a whole and stealing their souls all with a glance of his eyes and a flick of his wrist, this jumbo point guard could be an exceptional asset to an NBA roster sooner than many think."
Kevin Young, his head coach at BYU, likewise described his underrated value as a draft prospect.
"[The] margin for error seems much larger this June, with such wild variance among scouts' rankings and projections of so many prospects. Working within those confines could very well lead some teams to choose the player they deem has the highest possible floor. Or the lowest risk of failure. Or the skill set and tools most likely to translate at the next level.
"All of those descriptors might well apply to Egor Demin, BYU's supersized playmaker who is known for his standout feel on both sides of the court."
This is a huge day for both Demin and the BYU basketball program. Tangible evidence that Kevin Young and his staff have created an environment conducive to developing NBA talent, a project of a point guard arrived in the top ten of the draft.
His future is still a mystery, but there's no denying this: he was a highly-desirable prospect for NBA teams. Now he'll be playing in the pros.