The 2024 NBA Draft completed last week, and a draft class with a bad reputation has officially entered the NBA ranks. In a class with no clear top pick, star potential, or sure-bet prospects, many basketball fans have already chalked up the 2024 draft as a wash and are looking to the future.
It's easy to see why basketball fans want to look ahead to the 2025 draft class. With serious star power populating the lottery, the future of basketball looks tremendously bright. Gifted hoopers like Duke's Cooper Flagg, Rutgers' Airious "Ace" Bailey, and more have basketball observers feeling like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone flying through the Griffith Observatory--everywhere we look, we're seeing stars.
Among the top names in the draft is BYU's Russian recruit out of Real Madrid, Egor Demin. Demin, the wirey and highly skilled guard will be playing at BYU this season before entering the NBA Draft. Head Coach Kevin Young is serious about making BYU a premier destination for NBA-level talent, and securing Demin was the first step (and a big one) toward solidifying his aspirations.
Demin is a consensus top 10 selection across the hoops world, landing in the top 10 of seemingly every way-too-early 2025 NBA Mock Draft. Fellow BYU recruit, Kanon Catchings, is also receiving buzz as a first-rounder in ESPN's mock, slated as the 26th pick.
Egor Demin officially signed to BYU today. The Russian 18-year-old’s skill-level, playmaking, and versatility at 6-foot-9 is unique. One of the top talents amongst a loaded freshmen class headed into the 2024-25 college basketball season. pic.twitter.com/m1MUSoiNE9
— League Him (@League_Him) June 17, 2024
This is a new era of BYU basketball, and one that could take time to become accustomed to. With a fresh direction and philosophy, Provo is becoming a real threat to land top-level recruits from across the nation, regardless of religious affiliation. With Demin and Catchings aiming to be one-and-done prospects, along with several additional players who hope to see their draft stock rise filling out the roster, BYU is becoming more than fans could have hoped for.
Of course, as Cougar fans we should never get too ahead of ourselves when projecting team success--we've been burned before--but no one can deny that the basketball program is moving in a positive direction.