Egor Demin Daily: Brooklyn's rookie point guard has found the missing piece

Egor Demin was a divisive prospect in the NBA Draft class of 2025. As a 6-foot-9 point guard with tantalizing floor vision and a magician's touch when it came to distribution, some viewed him as the ideal archetype to become the engine of an NBA offense. Others saw his lack of athleticism, poor shooting numbers, and buttered-popcorn ball handling, leaned back in their easy chairs and muttered, "Well that there just ain't gonna work in the NBA."

Me? I'm the mayor of Egorland. The proprietor of the unofficial Egor Demin fan club's Japanese chapter. His advocate against the cutting words of self-proclaimed basketball experts who refuse to believe his case as a capable and dangerous professional hooper.

Where many see weakness, I see brilliance. Where some see a timid demeanor, I see a calculated mindset and a deliberate effort to learn the world around him. When the Brooklyn Nets selected the BYU guard eighth overall, the NBA world laughed at them. But I knew they saw what I saw: a rich stream of untapped brilliance.

As did Sam Presti, by the way, who has a notably positive track record for player evaluation.

And since Egor entered the Brooklyn Nets' starting lineup (sorry, not sorry about Cam Thomas' injury), the Demin's production has gone through the roof.

Egor Demin rookie stats through November 14 (10 games)

7.2 points
3.3 assists
3.2 rebounds
37.5% 3PT
39.3% FG

Egor Demin stats as a starter through November 14 (3 games)

11.3 points
5 assists
3.7 rebounds
46.7% 3PT
49.9% FG

Against Toronto on November 13, Egor posted a career-best 16 points, knocking through 5-of-11 shots from beyond the arc and tormenting the Raptors defense.

The biggest knock against Egor was his poor shooting numbers as a freshman at BYU. Though he started strong with the Cougars (he knocked through 56.5% of his three-pointers through his first five games), his shooting percentages plummeted after suffering a knee injury that kept him sidelined for a week and a half. For the rest of the year, Demin's confidence took a dive, and both quality and quantity were horrible as he finished with a 27.3% rate from distance.

Those who were open-minded about Demin in the NBA Draft Combine didn't see a jump shot that was broken in the slightest. No, Egor's form looked sharp. Crisp. A gentle flick of the wrist from a high release sent the basket through the goal at a head-turning rate.

Related: Egor Demin caught fire at the NBA Draft Combine, shoots the lights out in drills

Right now, any doubts about his shooting ability are looking very silly. The form is quick, steady, and repeatable -- not completely dissimilar to Klay Thompson, at least by appearance -- and the ball is finding its target at an eye-wiping rate.

Catch and shoot, pump fake relocation to a no-doubter jumper, and even attacking the paint and finishing at the rim, Egor Demin is looking like a capable rotation-level player at worst, and a potential star if he can continue improving at this rate.

His head coach, Jordi Fernandez, is becoming a believer as he gives his young point guard more and more reps as the starter.

“You keep seeing plays that catch my eye, like the way he shoots and gets to spots… I'm very happy with where he's at right now and what he's shown. How aggressive he was; 11 field goal attempts is a good number. And five assists to one turnover against a team that is very aggressive and very handsy, I think that shows growth right there… The challenge now is sustaining it. And then, going into the defensive end, being more efficient, and learning from his minutes.”

Nothing is certain about Egor's NBA career; for heaven's sake, we're only 10 games into it. But for all the doubters, for all the mockery, and for all the hate that the Brooklyn Nets received for taking a chance on Demin, those dissenting voices have grown very silent since Egor took the floor in New York.