Egor Demin wasn't known as a 3-point shooter during his one-and-done year at BYU, but boy, did he quickly redefine himself in the NBA.
The 2025 No. 8 pick in the NBA Draft only played 52 games during his rookie season for the Brooklyn Nets due to a nagging plantar fasciitis issues in his left foot. But in those 52 games he hit 124 of his 322 3-point shots, drilling an impressive 38.5% of his attempts. This was borderline shocking after he hit just 27.3% of his 3-point attempts at BYU, and the college 3-point line is closer than the NBA's range.
Egor set a new NBA rookie record with at least one 3-pointer made in 34 straight games. He also set the Nets rookie franchise record with seven triples in one game.
But what's even crazier is where Egor's 124 3-pointers in his injury-shortened first NBA season ranks among former BYU players to make it to the pros. With data from Basketball Reference, here's the list of the Top 5 former Cougars who made the most 3-pointers in their NBA careers:
1. Danny Ainge - 1,002
2. Jimmer Fredette - 193
3. Egor Demin - 124
4. Jeff Congdon - 102
5. Fred Roberts - 51
That's.... shocking.
After playing just 52 games, Egor Demin already ranks third on BYU's all-time list of NBA 3-point marksmen. He's only 69 away from overtaking the legend Jimmer Fredette for the third spot. Demin averaged 3.2 3-pointers made per game this past season, and at that pace he would surpass Jimmer about 20 games into next year.
The other interesting tidbits of this Top 5 list
While it's shocking that Egor already ranks third on this list, it's almost equally shocking to see Danny Ainge made over 1,000 3-pointers in his decorated NBA career.
Ainge, the 1981 Wooden Award winner at BYU, went on to have a 14-year NBA career in which won two NBA titles and made an All-Star team. The fact that he made 1,002 3-pointers in a career that spanned the 1980s into the mid-1990s is pretty remarkable. Back in those days players just didn't shoot 3-pointers. Offense came at the rim through traditional big men or by guards like Michael Jordan who either took the ball to hoop or pulled up for mid-range jumpers. The fiery Ainge was the exception.
Jeff Congdon played five seasons in the ABA from the late 1970s into the early 1980s, so his 102 3-pointers carry a bit of an asterisk. But, hey, with as paltry as this list is, we're going to be inclusive here.
It's also borderline hilarious to see center Fred Roberts in the No. 5 spot on this list. Roberts had a solid 13-year NBA career and the 51 3-pointers he made were likely desperation attempts as the shot clock was running out. A total of 51 3-pointers over the course of 13 seasons comes out to about four makes per year, so he wasn't actively taking these shots as part of his team's designed offensive sets.
It has been a minute since BYU has had a 3-point bomber in the NBA.
Egor Demin is off to a great start in reversing that trend.
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