Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin had a solid rookie season last year where everyone around the NBA saw his ability to shoot the three-pointer at an elite level for one of the youngest teams in the league. Brooklyn did not get to see Demin play for the entire season due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but this summer gave the organization much to look forward to this upcoming campaign.
"You can make a lot of mistakes by overvaluing Summer League play, but Egor Demin's growth was too obvious to ignore," Grant Hughes wrote about Demin for Bleacher Report. In Hughes' article, he gave a "hot take" for each of the NBA's 30 teams and for the Nets, his hot take was that Demin would break out this season. However, that may not be that much of a hot take if
this past summer circuit is any indication.
"After shooting 38.5 percent from deep as a rookie and providing exactly the kind of connective passing the Brooklyn Nets hoped for when they picked him at No. 8, Demin flashed offensive dimensions in Vegas that could make him a dangerously complete weapon," Hughes continued. "Brooklyn targeted multiple guards in the first round last year. It looks like it found at least one true keeper in Demin."
Demin, 20, averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 38.5% from behind the three-point line in 52 games played for the Nets last season. Demin followed that up by having a breakout summer league circuit where he 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 deep between the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.
For Demin to break out this season, he will likely have to be more efficient with his shooting given that he'll be behind forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle in the offensive pecking order. However, if Demin's added strength and confidence allows him to be more effective inside the three-point arc like he showcased this summer, he could pile on the points by getting to the free-throw line and nailing open three-pointers when the ball comes his way.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Is saying that Nets' Egor Demin will break out really a hot take?
