Nets' Egor Demin reacts to split opinions about his NBA potential
"There were a lot of opinions and conversations around this, and it will always be like this, as far as I understand," Demin said during an interview with Nikita Biryukov of Championat, a Russian website (h/t to NetsDaily). Demin was asked for his opinion on those who believed that him being selected with a top-10 pick was correct while some believed that the Nets made a mistake taking him that high in the Draft.
"I try to simply isolate myself from any conversations and discussions of the public, I concentrate on my work and development together with people who help me to be the best version of myself," Demin continued. In an recent article from ESPN, there were various executives who believed that Demin was the biggest reach of the Draft due to where most pundits had him going heading into the event.
"Even if you believe in [Demin] as a starting NBA point guard -- and I don't -- it seems like he would've been gettable at the end of the lottery, or even later," an Eastern Conference executive said of Demin, per ESPN's Jeremy Woo. Part of the criticism of Brooklyn taking Demin was due to the fact that Demin was one of four players whose profile involves being a ball-handler.
Demin, 19, came away from the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League with some solid performances that involved him shifting the narrative around his ability to play off the ball. Demin played three games for the Nets in Las Vegas and he averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 40.7% from the field and 43.5% from three-point land on 7.7 attempts per contest.
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