Nets rookie Egor Demin proves he's good at everything, returns to BYU for a workout

Egor Demin's lone season with BYU basketball was polarizing to say the least. He struggled to shoot, got caught up with a loose dribble, and frequently had fans questioning if the Russian teenager actually had what it took to excel at the NBA level.

Those of us who believed (including myself, president of the Japanese chapter of the Egor Demin fan club) knew that the jump shot's effectiveness would eventually catch up to its beautiful delivery. We knew the passing upside would shine with the increased spacing of the NBA game. Most importantly, however, we back our Cougars as they make the step up to the pros, and incessantly beat the drum of their agenda for any and all to hear it.

I was overjoyed to see how well Egor performed as a rookie in Brooklyn..

Selected eighth overall, the Nets snagged the BYU product -- the only Cougar in the NBA at the current day, pending AJ Dybantsa's draft declaration -- with four more first-rounders in their back pocket. It's safe to say that Egor separated himself from his peers as the only rookie to actually cement himself as a core piece for their future rebuild.

He shot 38.5% from three-point land as a rookie after struggling to match the 30% mark at BYU. He scored 10.3 points per game, dished 3.3 assists per night, and even gathered 3.2 boards for good measure. 83.1% free throw shooting suggests that he'll just continue to grow, and that's a very positive indicator for a guard many worried could slip out of the draft lottery range entirely.

Now, he's back in Provo for a workout at his home away from home, hoping to post an even better sophomore stint in the NBA.

After putting in work at the basketball annex facilities, Egor also took to the mound at Miller Park to toss out the first pitch for the baseball team across the street. If you ask me, that looks like a perfect strike (I have cataracts).

Egor has been revealing a plethora -- yes, I said plethora -- of hidden skills with the Brooklyn Nets social media team, dominating in nearly every obscure and insignificant competition he could ever be asked to do.

Take, for example, his all-world bottle flipping ability, that sent that gymnastic piece of plastic through his legs, behind his back, and blindly hurled all to land rigid, standing straight up.

Or when he showed off his table tennis touch, torching his fellow rookies in a head-to-head contest with a ping pong paddle. You can find the video of that feat here on the Brooklyn Nets' TikTok page.

So don't be surprised to see Egor take the leap in his second NBA season. Not only is he a relentless worker, he's also just good at everything he does.

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