Egor Demin arrived at the NBA Draft Combine as a promising, if not controversial, first-round prospect. After an uneven season with BYU basketball, Demin's NBA talent was undeniable, but the question remained on whether he should stay for another season in the Kevin Young incubator.
With legit NBA size, length, and a frame that could only build strength, Egor's freshman year was all about developing for the next notch in his basketball timeline -- the National Basketball Association.
Though his playmaking, feathery passing touch and distribution ability that could make.... some really big distribution companies blush (I think the internet is going to be amazed that I stuck the landing on that joke), Egor could slot into the NBA as a jumbo point guard capable of orchestrating the offense and being a pressure-release scorer to help his teammates out.
Of course, no player is without his weaknesses (especially at only 19 years of age), and Egor's detractors had a field day with the apparent holes in his skill set. Though he can create open looks for teammates, Egor often struggles to create his own shot. Shooting under 30% from beyond the 3-point arc is a glaring concern as well, and built a narrative that he wasn't ready for professional basketball.
With a touch of creativity, Egor could turn around for an open look, or take advantage of a sagging perimeter defense, but with a work-in-progress dribbling package and ball security worse than the unattended Amazon package on my porch, one can't help but wonder in this marble pillar truly holds the potential of an NBA athlete under the surface.
At the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday, however, the Russian burst through the doors on a grizzly bear and delivered an eyebrow-raising performance in shooting drills, knocking through a high percentage of his 3-point look behind a buttery shooting form.
Here's my case for Egor as a shooter. With a high release point and soft flick of the wrist at the summit, Demin's jump shot is both comfortable and replicable. There is no reason why he can't project as a serviceable shooter at the next level -- knocking down 3-balls somewhere in the range of 35% to 37% on a good season.
He hit 56% of his 3-pointers in the star shooting drill and looked strong shooting off the dribble, hitting just below the 50% mark.
The jury is still out on where Egor will eventually be selected, but his performance in front of NBA scouts can only help his case to this point.