BYU basketball isn't quite accustomed to one-and-done players, though their incoming batch of hoopers and complete program renovation indicates Provo will see plenty more youngsters dart to the pros.
Naturally, when a highly-talented and lottery-projected player passes through Kevin Young's program, fan interest points to where he'll be selected. The eyes of a nation will patiently await the fate of Egor Demin, BYU's 6'9" point guard from Russia, who has an eye for playmaking and the build to become something exceptional.
Despite his obvious passing talent, Demin's rocky scoring ability has turned away many analysts and talent-evaluators, anxious that his shortcomings could handicap the foreign hooper among the best basketball teams in the world.
This makes projecting his eventual landing spot all the more exciting.
This article won't be about his best NBA fit, nor will it be about how his game will translate to the professional level. Rather, this jumble of words on the internet is solely focused on one metric exclusively: draft position.
What's his peak? Where could he fall? Just how risk-averse will NBA owners be toward the international playmaking virtuoso? Let's take a dive.
Best and Worst-Case Scenarios: Egor Demin's NBA Draft
From highest pick to lowest, we've skimmed the drafting pool to find out what gunk has been building at the bottom after an entire season of basketball.
SLC Dunk - 13 - "...one of the more truly gifted passing prospects we’ve ever seen at his age [...] His scoring troubles have turned many away, however..."
The Ringer - 14 - "...he’s gifted at using his outside-the-box thinking to pry open passing windows. With a live dribble, he excels at using his terrific size to sling pinpointed darts..."
Yahoo - 17 - "Demin has a rare ability at his size to make dazzling passes. But he’s also struggled to shoot and create his own shot..."
Bleacher Report - 18 - "teams' main draw to Demin will be his playmaking, which projects to translate first and easiest. Bad turnovers, poor shooting and limited off-ball value just suggest Demin may be tough for NBA playoff teams to trust for minutes next year."
NBA.com - 19 - "Teams will see translatability and value in his passing and setup ability. He’ll go earlier if a team thinks his shotmaking will be better than the numbers suggest."
USA Today - 21 - "his relatively poor overall performance and shooting causes some room for concern. His size and playmaking still makes him intriguing, though."
Regardless of how you feel about the Russian prospect, his supporters and detractors are beginning to find equilibrium regarding his ideal position in the NBA Draft. Could he sneak into the tail end of the lottery, or is Demin doomed to slide past the 20th pick?