Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had a plan to improve as much as he could following a rookie season where he had some impressive moments, but also had some clear areas of growth. Brooklyn saw Demin this summer and he looked like a different, both physically and otherwise, and he wants to continue improving so that he can be the best version of himself.
"Yeah, my goal is to translate not just a part of what I did in summer league, but even more. I had some more time after summer league, and I kept working on that stuff," Demin said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, after Tuesday's 124-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets in the preseason opener. Demin finished the contest with six points and five assists in 18 minutes as the starting point guard
and he believes that he has more to show.
"I think I’m even better right now than I was in summer league," Demin continued before head coach Jordi Fernandez gave his take on Demin's performance. "Egor was good. I want him aggressive to shoot or touch the paint and he's done it the whole summer. He's worked at it, he’s stronger and now he's very comfortable getting there. So, it's great," Fernandez said of Demin.
Demin is in the beginning of his second NBA season and while forward Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle are going to be the leaders of the team, the former BYU Cougar still has to do his part. Demin likely started at the point guard spot due to rookie Mikel Brown Jr. missing the game due to a left ankle sprain, but he looked comfortable in that role despite spending the majority of last season playing off the ball.
Time will tell whether Fernandez deploys Demin as the point guard of the offense or if he will be spending his time playing next to Brown or Nolan Traore once the regular season begins. As of now, Demin showed that he has what it takes to be the passer that this team needs and if he can translate the scoring and paint penetration that he displayed during the summer, his sophomore breakout could start sooner than later.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin wants to build on what he showed in the summer league
