Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had a solid rookie season with enough promising elements to it that many people in the Nets fanbase were wondering what he would do to improve. Brooklyn believed in Demin's ability to grow as a three-point shooter, but they were also asking him to take the next step in his game and it seems that the front office is taking notice of his work.
"He’s a lot more comfortable going into Year 2. I think from the pre-draft process, all the way through his rookie year, we probably over-indexed on his three-point shot too much," a Nets front-office executive said of Demin, per Keith Smith of Spotrac. Demin did not shoot the three-ball well during his one-and-done year at BYU, but it seemed like improving his shot was Brooklyn's
main priority with him and he finished last season shooting 38.5% from deep.
"I mean Egor, his trainers, our front office, our coaches, everyone. You saw out here (at Summer League), that he was getting downhill more. This year is about putting him in even better spots to shine as an all-around player," the Nets front-office executive continued on Demin, per Smith. As the exec alluded to, Demin spent most of his time during the summer circuit trying to get to the rim thanks to his added bulk.
Demin, 20, finished his rookie season with averages of 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and attempting just 1.3 free-throws per game. During Brooklyn's summer circuit in which the team participated in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, Demin averaged 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 47.3% from the floor and 28.9% from three-point land.
While Demin had more responsibility as part of Brooklyn's summer league team, he will be heading into next season with forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle leading the way on offense. However, that veteran duo will need someone to stretch the floor and potentially create rim pressure to allow the offense to be more efficient so Demin's growth this offseason could be key to the Nets' success next year.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets front-office executive speaks on Egor Demin's current form
