Two days before the Brooklyn Nets debut in Charlotte vs the Hornets, Jordi Fernandez has not revealed who will start at the point, easily the most important position on his team, what with three players
who can play the 1 … but none of whom has reached his 20th birthday.
The likely choice it would seem will be Egor Demin, the Nets first lottery pick in 15 years. The only question is the injury that kept him off the practice court from July through last week. He missed the Nets only home game vs. Hapoel Jerusalem, then both of the NBA China Games before his debut in black-and-white vs. the Raptors in Toronto.
However, that first game was about as solid as the Nets had a right to expect: 14 points, on 3-of-5 shooting including 2-of-3 from deep to go along with 6-of-7 at the line, five rebounds and an assist. And while his team chalked up 23 turnovers, only two were attributed to him. More than the numbers, though, the 6’9” Russian point guard showed poise under pressure and played solid defense.
In interviews after the game, Demin talked about how he literally saw his time while injured, describing a near out-of-body experience.
“As a player, it’s rare for you to see the game from a different angle,” Dëmin said. “Normally, you just see from the standpoint of being on the court or just waiting for your turn. For me, it was just something like, OK, how can I impact my own [game], and because I’m not practicing, how can I get better?”
The tear in his plantar fascia, which he now says took place during pre-draft workouts and limited him in Summer League where he still proved himself a better shooter and more poised player than many expected. While the injury may have limited his summer preparations on the court, he told reporters he wasn’t just “sitting on the couch.” Instead, he added weight, going from 199 at the NBA Combine to 210 now.
“I think for me, it was the primary goal to be 205 at least before the season starts,” Dëmin said. “[I wanted] to be able to compete against athletes as we have, so I can be a little bit heavier to be stronger on defense, on offense, to get into the paint, and things like this.
“Things like that” will also include stamina over an 82-game season.
“As long as I’m above that [number], it’s good, but not too much [because] I want to still be able to run. But I think I’m in a good balance right now with my weight, muscles and condition.”
Demin also worked on his 3-point shot, which was criticized when he was taken eighth, the first of a record five first rounders, in June. Although he had a solid NBA Draft Combine, then an extraordinary agent day when he hit 16 straight threes in 35 seconds, critics focused on his 27% number at BYU. In his limited Summer League experience he dispelled a lot of concern by hitting 43.5% of his 7.7 attempts per game. He followed that up by going 2-of-3 vs. Toronto giving him a 52.2% percentage as a Net. He remembers the slights but also understands he has work to do.
“For sure, it was the same when I was entering the summer league. People were saying I can’t shoot or things like this, which if you look at the season in college, you probably can say I couldn’t shoot. I probably had, like, 28 percent from 3, which is crazy,” Dëmin said. “But it’s not like I’m just sitting on the couch at home, right? That’s definitely something that I’m working on.
“And it’s not just something that obvious, but pretty much everything. Things that people talk about, you gotta get better at dribbling, gotta get better at shooting, things like this, that’s obviously something that I’m aware of, and I’m really spending more time at that than anything else, things that I’m weak at. But I’m not only trying to do what I’m good at and be happy with whatever I have. I’m trying to be a versatile player and to be able to execute whatever I’m being asked, and being able to be the player that can shoot and dribble and do whatever I’m asked.”
We’re unlikely to learn whether he, Ben Saraf or Nolan Traore will get Jordi’s nod till just before game time on Wednesday’s opener, but despite his injury and his critics’ slights, it’s a good bet that Demin will be getting big minutes and probably the start. Then, we’ll learn just how much his off-season regimen matters.
- Nets’ Egor Demin put on extra pounds to keep up with NBA expectations – Peter Botte – New York Post
