Egor Demin knew moment his Nets draft fate was sealed
The Nets' selection of BYU star Egor Demin shocked most draft observers Wednesday night.
But the Russian point guard's camp knew the instant Kon Knueppel came off the board that Demin had a great chance to land in Brooklyn.
Advertisement
And the Nets let them know before the rest of Barclays Center got the shock.
'A few dominoes fell,' former BYU star Travis Hansen told KSL Sports on Thursday. 'We knew we were right there with Kon Knueppel and Egor. Brooklyn really liked both of them, so once Kon went four, we knew we had a real chance to go to Brooklyn.
'At some point, we got a text from Brooklyn that said 'He's ours!' And we all got chills. Egor went straight Russian mode because he had no expression on his face, [but] I did. … I couldn't keep it in. I was so excited for him that [it] was Brooklyn. It's one of the top three places we wanted to go.'
Advertisement
3 Egor Demin celebrates after being selected eighth by the Nets.
AP
It's obvious why Demin would want to go to Brooklyn. The rebuilding Nets are able to offer development, immediate playing time and a huge Russian community.
'It's a great opportunity to be in a team where I'll be able to develop myself and also impact the game any way I can and just learn a lot,' Demin said. 'That's a historical club, historical organization. Obviously, it's a lot related to Russia in the past, a lot of Russian players were going through this organization. For me, it's an honor to be a part of the Nets.
'It reminds me a little bit of Moscow, of my hometown, just in how active it is. All the town is alive, so many people, cars, all that. There's just something I like. This town, it never stops. This is something I like about this place. It's really alive. Obviously, a lot of Russian restaurants that I'm happy to visit. That's the first thing I'm going to do, probably.'
Advertisement
3 NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with the No. 8 pick of the Nets' Egor Demin during the NBA Draft
JASON SZENES/NY POST
Well, the first thing he did was actually get a workout in at HSS Training Center on Thursday.
Demin had worked out for the Nets three times in the predraft process, which is an inordinate amount. But he clearly made an impression.
It wasn't only the Nets who were impressed with him. Thunder GM Sam Presti actually had Demin over to his house, and was reportedly considering trading up from No. 15 to draft him.
Advertisement
3 Alabama forward Grant Nelson drives on Brigham Young guard Egor Demin (3) during the second half of a Sweet 16.
AP
Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn
Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+.
Thank you
Enter your email address
Please provide a valid email address.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter!
Check out more newsletters
Demin also impressed Atlanta with his basketball IQ.
But in the end he landed with the Nets, who were working the phones for trades.
'Brooklyn's in that young development mode. It's exactly where we want him to be,' Hansen said. 'They're going to be patient with him and they're going to push him and he's going to have an opportunity to shine. So I don't know if there could've been a better fit. We definitely liked OKC, but Brooklyn's perfect for him.'
Israel's official X account congratulated Israel's Ben Saraf and Israeli-American Danny Wolf for being drafted 26th and 27th, respectively, by the Nets.
Advertisement
Brooklyn signed Alabama's Grant Nelson to a two-way contract Thursday night after the forward went undrafted, The Post confirmed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
4 hours ago
- NBC Sports
UCLA's Mick Cronin hires former player David Singleton as an assistant coach
LOS ANGELES — David Singleton, who played five seasons for UCLA, is returning to Westwood as an assistant coach under Mick Cronin. Singleton spent the last two years playing in the NBA G League with the Atlanta Hawks' affiliate in Georgia. He helped UCLA reach the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2021. He also helped the Bruins make the tournament in 2022 and in 2023, when they made the Sweet 16. As a fifth-year senior, Singleton and the Bruins won the Pac-12 regular-season title. Singleton set the school record for most games played with 164 while playing a fifth year allowed by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He ranks third on the career list for 3-pointers made with 219. He averaged 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds during his career. 'He's always had his eye on becoming a coach, and we are thrilled that we can add him to our staff,' Cronin said in a statement Wednesday. 'He understands what it takes to get a team to perform at a high level.' Singleton said he's grateful to return to his alma mater, where he graduated in 2023 with a sociology degree. 'I'm looking forward to adding to the legacy and program in any way that I can as an assistant coach,' he said in a statement.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Alabama's Mark Sears, Grant Nelson land NBA contracts after 2025 draft
Neither Mark Sears or Grant Nelson were selected in the 2025 NBA draft, but the two former Alabama Crimson Tide starters are nevertheless headed to the pros. After the draft concluded Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Sears agreed to a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Nelson also agreed to a two-way contract -- with the Brooklyn Nets. Two years earlier, Brooklyn added another former Crimson Tide forward just out of college: Noah Clowney, whom the organization selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft. Sears led Alabama in scoring in each of the past two seasons, averaging 18.6 points and 5.1 assists per game in 32.3 minutes a night for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He started every game for Alabama over the past three seasons and finished his career second on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,950 career points. Nelson came to Alabama ahead of the 2023-24 season from North Dakota and helped carry the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four appearance in program history that year. Alabama knocked off No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and Clemson in the Elite Eight of the West Region of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles. Nelson was Alabama's leading rebounder last season (7.6 per game) and trailed only Sears in points per game (11.5). Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Egor Demin knew moment his Nets draft fate was sealed
The Nets' selection of BYU star Egor Demin shocked most draft observers Wednesday night. But the Russian point guard's camp knew the instant Kon Knueppel came off the board that Demin had a great chance to land in Brooklyn. Advertisement And the Nets let them know before the rest of Barclays Center got the shock. 'A few dominoes fell,' former BYU star Travis Hansen told KSL Sports on Thursday. 'We knew we were right there with Kon Knueppel and Egor. Brooklyn really liked both of them, so once Kon went four, we knew we had a real chance to go to Brooklyn. 'At some point, we got a text from Brooklyn that said 'He's ours!' And we all got chills. Egor went straight Russian mode because he had no expression on his face, [but] I did. … I couldn't keep it in. I was so excited for him that [it] was Brooklyn. It's one of the top three places we wanted to go.' Advertisement 3 Egor Demin celebrates after being selected eighth by the Nets. AP It's obvious why Demin would want to go to Brooklyn. The rebuilding Nets are able to offer development, immediate playing time and a huge Russian community. 'It's a great opportunity to be in a team where I'll be able to develop myself and also impact the game any way I can and just learn a lot,' Demin said. 'That's a historical club, historical organization. Obviously, it's a lot related to Russia in the past, a lot of Russian players were going through this organization. For me, it's an honor to be a part of the Nets. 'It reminds me a little bit of Moscow, of my hometown, just in how active it is. All the town is alive, so many people, cars, all that. There's just something I like. This town, it never stops. This is something I like about this place. It's really alive. Obviously, a lot of Russian restaurants that I'm happy to visit. That's the first thing I'm going to do, probably.' Advertisement 3 NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with the No. 8 pick of the Nets' Egor Demin during the NBA Draft JASON SZENES/NY POST Well, the first thing he did was actually get a workout in at HSS Training Center on Thursday. Demin had worked out for the Nets three times in the predraft process, which is an inordinate amount. But he clearly made an impression. It wasn't only the Nets who were impressed with him. Thunder GM Sam Presti actually had Demin over to his house, and was reportedly considering trading up from No. 15 to draft him. Advertisement 3 Alabama forward Grant Nelson drives on Brigham Young guard Egor Demin (3) during the second half of a Sweet 16. AP Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Demin also impressed Atlanta with his basketball IQ. But in the end he landed with the Nets, who were working the phones for trades. 'Brooklyn's in that young development mode. It's exactly where we want him to be,' Hansen said. 'They're going to be patient with him and they're going to push him and he's going to have an opportunity to shine. So I don't know if there could've been a better fit. We definitely liked OKC, but Brooklyn's perfect for him.' Israel's official X account congratulated Israel's Ben Saraf and Israeli-American Danny Wolf for being drafted 26th and 27th, respectively, by the Nets. Advertisement Brooklyn signed Alabama's Grant Nelson to a two-way contract Thursday night after the forward went undrafted, The Post confirmed.
