Progress isn’t always linear, especially when the athlete in question isn’t old enough to buy a drink.
At BYU, Egor Dëmin was a 6’9” walking mismatch who overwhelmed opponents with his unusual combination
of size and coordination as a ball-handler. After all, he was the tallest guard measured at the NBA Combine since the league began publishing measurements in 2000!
The NBA, of course, does not care about your college dominance. There’s a physical specimen around every corner now, and he’s still ways away from imposing his will on anyone at this level.
The rookie has been hesitant to attack the basket, taking the lowest percentage of two-point attempts on the team. In Monday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, Dëmin didn’t attempt a single shot in the paint and committed two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter.
“He has high expectations for himself and I’m gonna say the same,” said Jordi Fernandez. “I want more paint touches. I want more assists. I want more physicality in both ends. He’s gonna try to do his best. That’s a good thing about our young guys.”
Here’s the strange part. The 19-year-old has struggled in areas where he was expected to thrive while excelling in a spot where the concern was loudest.
All of a sudden, he can shoot. Like, really shoot.
Through this point of the season, he has made 62 three-pointers, the second-most among NBA rookies, doing it at a 36.5% clip. He knocked down seven threes against Golden State, setting a single-game franchise rookie record in the process.
At this pace, he’s on track to make 170 threes this season, which would break the Nets’ rookie record set by Kerry Kittles in 1996–97.
This newfound comfort from beyond the arc has come as a surprise, especially for a player who shot nearly 10 percent lower from three in college. At BYU, he shot 27.1 percent while attempting 4.7 threes per game, compared to 6.1 attempts per game this season.
A plantar fascia injury kept him from doing much of anything this summer, so all he could do was shoot from a chair while working on rhythm, mechanics, and muscle memory. Eventually, that limitation turned into a much-needed reset.
“It comes from the summer work for sure. That was one of my biggest focuses,” Demin said. “People were questioning my 3-point shot a lot, questioning if I would even shoot them. I’m lucky to have a really good coaching staff around me here that wants me to shoot any time I can.”
Now, it’s just a matter of putting it all together.
The rookie point guard has shown a willingness to improve, already packing on over 10 pounds since getting drafted in hopes of smoothing the transition to the physicality of the league.
He’s also exhibited impressive patience and self-awareness along the way, a sign he’s ready to put in the work to fully reach his potential.
“I’m much more comfortable, for sure,” Demin said. “Mentally I’m understanding the game better. And just adjusting to the game, growing the right way. Being able to spend as much time on the court as Jordi’s giving me, it’s an honor.”
After flashing his undeniable potential – and making some typical rookie mistakes – Nets veteran center Nic Claxton offered some words of encouragement to the former No. 8 overall pick after Monday’s game.
“It was a big confidence builder for him,” Nic Claxton said. “He hit some really big shots for us. Obviously, there’s still a lot of errors where he can learn from. But the sky’s the limit for him and he’ll keep getting better.”
It might take a few off-seasons and some growing pains, but the pieces are there, and the person in charge seems determined to put the puzzle together. And he has plenty of time. Of the 540 players on NBA rosters, 529 are older.
