<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-egor-demin-named-wild-card-win-rookie-of-the-year');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Egor Demin named wild card to win NBA Rookie of the Year');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Egor-Demin.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nets’ Egor Demin named wild card to win NBA Rookie of the Year</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-10T09:29:34-07:00">September 10th, 9:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-10T09:31:58-07:00">September 10th, 9:31am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-why-egor-demin-beat-yang-hansen-biggest-draft-reach-espn-poll">Brooklyn Nets’ selection of Egor Demin with this year’s No. 8 pick was controversial</a> within NBA draft circles. The Russian floor general will have ample opportunity to prove his value as the team’s starting point guard. His projected role has some eyeing him as a contender for the 2025-25 NBA Rookie of the Year.</p><p>Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25240840-2026-nba-award-favorites-sleepers-and-wild-cards" rel="noopener">recently labeled</a> Demin a wild card for the award.</p><p>“Demin quelled some of the draft-night “Really? Him?!?” reactions by proving he can work away from the ball on offense during summer league. Even after the Nets selected a trillion potential creators in the first round, he’ll have a prominent role that translates to standout scoring and assist averages,” Favale wrote.</p><p>Demin has an intriguing skill set as a 6-foot-9 point guard with elite passing ability. He eased worries about his outside shooting at Summer League, converting 43.5 percent of 7.7 three-point attempts per game.</p><h2>Is Egor Demin legitimate contender for NBA Rookie of the Year award?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Egor-Demin-2.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There are still glaring <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/brooklyn-nets-2025-nba-draft-grade-for-no-8-pick-egor-demin">concerns about whether Demin’s ball-handling will hold up</a> against NBA pressure. He struggled to separate from defenders at BYU. That continued at Summer League, as he rarely got downhill or touched the paint, attempting just four of his 27 shots from inside the three-point line.</p><p>Yet, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-coach-reveals-reason-egor-demins-summer-league-role-change">Demin will have an extremely long leash</a> to work through struggles early this season. Favale isn’t the only media member to speculate that Brooklyn’s top draft pick could enter the rookie awards conversation.</p><p>NetsDaily’s Lucas Kaplan spoke about Demin as a First Team All-Rookie candidate when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyeAds0OlZk" rel="noopener">giving his hottest takes for the 2025-26 season on the Locked On Nets podcast</a>.</p><p>“I think of all the Nets rookies, he’ll get the most minutes… There is a world where he makes enough threes. He’s going to have the highlight passes. I think he’ll just get his way into points, rebounds, and assists,” Kaplan said. “And voters will enjoy his style of play, more so than maybe a guy like Colin Murray-Boyles, whose per-game averages might really not look that good… Of that back half of the lottery, if Egor has the fattest counting stats and he makes enough threes and he has all these flashy passes and you look up and he has a 14-7-6 game once a week or every two weeks, which I think is feasible, I could see the voters going for it.”</p><p>Demin will shoulder a heavy burden this season as Brooklyn’s lead ball-handler. He’ll play alongside veterans Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton, Terance Mann and Cam Thomas, as well as fellow rookies Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Egor Demin named wild card to win NBA Rookie of the Year

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-egor-demin-reacts-executives-labeling-him-biggest-reach-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Egor Demin reacts to NBA executives labeling him biggest reach of draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Egor-Demin.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nets’ Egor Demin reacts to NBA executives labeling him biggest reach of draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T09:02:35-07:00">August 14th, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T09:03:56-07:00">August 14th, 9:03am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets’ selection of Egor Demin with the No. 8 pick in June’s draft drew widespread skepticism. After the team endured a flurry of criticism on draft night, an ESPN poll of 20 NBA executives and scouts <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-why-egor-demin-beat-yang-hansen-biggest-draft-reach-espn-poll">labeled Demin the biggest reach of the draft</a>.</p><p>The Nets point guard <a href="https://www.championat.com/basketball/article-6118142-intervyu-s-egorom-dyominym-posle-drafta-nba-pervye-vpechatleniya-bruklin-nets-i-buduschee-rossijskogo-basketbolista-v-lige-biograf.html" rel="noopener">recently reacted</a> to the narratives surrounding his selection.</p><p>“There were a lot of opinions and conversations around this, and it will always be like this, as far as I understand,” he said during an interview with Russian sports site Championat. “I try to simply isolate myself from any conversations and discussions of the public, I concentrate on my work and development together with people who help me to be the best version of myself.”</p><p>Demin represents the Nets’ first lottery selection since 2010. He carries heavy expectations as he begins his NBA career with Brooklyn.</p><h2>Egor Demin opens up on expectations for rookie campaign with Nets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Egor-Demin-1.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 6-foot-9 Russian floor general was widely considered the best passer in this year’s draft. However, concerns about his ball-handling and ability to create his own shot led him to fall in many mock drafts. He did little to quell those concerns at this year’s NBA Summer League, as he struggled to get downhill with the ball in his hands.</p><p>However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-egor-demin-heat-check-admission-summer-league-daggers">Demin’s Summer League performance did ease concerns about his three-point shooting</a> after his struggles at BYU. The 19-year-old shot 43.5 percent on 7.7 attempts per game over four appearances in Las Vegas.</p><p>Given his raw ball-handling, many <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-coach-reveals-reason-egor-demins-summer-league-role-change">have questioned whether Demin will play point guard or wing</a> at the next level. However, he’s said numerous times following the draft that he’s focused on impacting the game as a playmaker, regardless of what position he plays.</p><p>“My main goals are adaptation and maximum concentration on development in everything,” he said during his interview with Championat. “I focus on putting in as much effort as possible every time I step on the court and off it. It is also necessary to give my best and be a sponge, absorbing all the information available to me.</p><p>“I think that is the truth, to try to find a balance and the right vector, where a player can do everything and can influence the game at any second of the 48 minutes. For some, it is a long process that they work on throughout their career, some are so talented that they find it pretty quickly, and some never manage to achieve it. So this is one of my main goals, which I have worked, am working on and will work on every day.”</p><p>Demin will likely open the season as the Nets’ starting point guard alongside veterans such as Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton and Terance Mann. He headlines a rookie class that features fellow point guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, as well as North Carolina wing Drake Powell and Michigan big man Danny Wolf.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Egor Demin reacts to NBA executives labeling him biggest reach of draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/brooklyn-nets-biggest-egor-demin-concern-2025-nba-summer-league');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brooklyn Nets’ biggest Egor Demin concern after 2025 NBA Summer League');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Brooklyn-Nets-biggest-Egor-Demin-concern-after-2025-NBA-Summer-League.jpg"><figcaption>Egor Demin's performace breakdown in the 2025 NBA Summer League for Brooklyn Nets</figcaption></figure><h1>Brooklyn Nets’ biggest Egor Demin concern after 2025 NBA Summer League</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-25T06:55:00-07:00">July 25th, 6:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-25T06:55:00-07:00">July 25th, 6:55am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Brooklyn Nets selected Egor Demin with the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many analysts and fans alike raised an eyebrow. A 6-foot-8 playmaker out of BYU with a shaky shooting history and vague positional projection, Demin was a high-upside gamble. But after three games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, that gamble already looks more intriguing than questionable.</p><p>Demin was one of the surprise sharpshooters of the event, drilling 43.5% of his threes on 23 attempts and showcasing fluid mechanics, confident footwork, and strong off-ball instincts. According to CBS Sports analyst Cameron Salerno, Demin’s outside scoring was one of the most unexpected developments in Las Vegas, especially considering his sub-30% three-point percentage in college.</p><h2>Nets’ biggest Egor Demin concern: Can he run the offense?</h2><p>Despite the shooting display, Demin’s role as a primary or even secondary playmaker remains the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-coach-reveals-reason-egor-demins-summer-league-role-change"> biggest concern for the Brooklyn Nets</a> coming out of Summer League. Though <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-egor-demin-heat-check-admission-summer-league-daggers">he averaged 5.5 assists per game</a> at BYU, Demin dished just 1.3 assists per game in Las Vegas and had zero assists in two of his three outings.</p><p>Even more troubling: he finished the Summer League with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, a stark departure from what was once considered a strength.</p><p>“<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/nets/news/nets-egor-demin-graded-for-summer-league-performance" rel="noopener">He’s not a true point guard</a>,” said Cameron Salerno. “I still don’t know exactly what he will be in the NBA.”</p><p>That ambiguity is critical. Brooklyn’s guard rotation is unsettled after several moves, and the team leaned heavily into selecting players with shared playmaking responsibility in the 2025 Draft. The idea was less about slotting a traditional point guard into the lineup and more about building a collective system of ball movement.</p><p>Still, for a top-10 pick, you want some level of offensive organization and initiation, especially for a 6-foot-8 prospect often compared to oversized guards like Josh Giddey or Deni Avdija. But Demin’s hesitancy with the ball and lack of consistent pick-and-roll reads were glaring against more physical Summer League defenders.</p><h2><b>Why the playmaking gap matters for Brooklyn’s development plan</b></h2><p>Summer League coach Steve Hetzel acknowledged Demin’s challenge adjusting to the physicality of the NBA game, particularly against older, more developed athletes.</p><p>“The physicality of these players he’s going up against… their bodies are fully developed,” Hetzel said. “He’s got to focus on the weight room, getting stronger, being able to hold off his defender, and then be able to play in the play-and-roll.”</p><p>That’s no small hurdle.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">catch, shoot, cash out! </p><p>🎯 <a href="https://twitter.com/whoisegor3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@whoisegor3</a> <a href="https://t.co/WTmtTaQfQS">pic.twitter.com/WTmtTaQfQS</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1943458457731973509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Demin’s frame, though long and fluid, isn’t yet NBA-ready for consistent dribble penetration. He often deferred under pressure or gave up his dribble early. And though he can navigate a pick-and-roll in theory, as he did at BYU, the quick decisions needed to manipulate defenders and hit shooters or roll-men were mostly missing in Las Vegas.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-why-egor-demin-beat-yang-hansen-biggest-draft-reach-espn-poll">The Nets drafted Demin</a> partially because of his unique combination of size, vision, and upside. But after the Summer League, it’s clear the vision doesn’t yet translate under pressure, and the ball-handling remains vulnerable against physical guards.</p><p>This leaves the Nets with a conundrum:</p><p>Either path has risks, especially on a roster already loaded with developmental players like Dariq Whitehead, Noah Clowney, and Jalen Wilson.</p><h2><b>The good news: Demin’s shooting might be real</b></h2><p>The most encouraging takeaway from Demin’s Summer League, however, is that his three-point shooting wasn’t just a fluke. He shot 40.0% on 7.5 attempts per game, many coming in rhythm, off movement, and against live closeouts. This wasn’t a spot-up-only display.</p><p>Nets’ coaches didn’t explicitly design plays for him to shoot that often; it happened naturally within the flow of the offense.</p><p>“It’s more how it played out than anything we planned,” Hetzel said. “He showed a willingness to let it fly. That’s good to see.”</p><p>Given his reluctance to shoot in college and questionable percentages, this evolution is critical. If the shot holds up, Demin can at minimum be a floor-spacing wing with defensive upside and a secondary playmaking role. That alone justifies his lottery pick status, even if the point guard experiment fades.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">3GOR!!! (x2) <a href="https://t.co/kcv67VDxGn">pic.twitter.com/kcv67VDxGn</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1944559266330976376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It’s still very early, but the Nets leave Las Vegas with a clearer view of who Egor Demin is today, and a more complicated sense of who he might become. The shooting surge is promising, the athletic frame is undeniable, and his defensive instincts on closeouts and rotations show potential.</p><p>But the biggest concern, his ability to orchestrate an offense, remains unsolved.</p><p>Demin will likely require at least a season to adjust to NBA physicality, sharpen his passing under pressure, and grow his offensive presence inside the arc (just 4 of his 27 shots came inside the three-point line). He may not be a lead guard, but he could still become a very valuable piece in a modern, switch-heavy, positionless Nets system.</p><p>For now, Brooklyn fans can dream on the shot and wait on the rest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brooklyn Nets’ biggest Egor Demin concern after 2025 NBA Summer League

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-why-egor-demin-beat-yang-hansen-biggest-draft-reach-espn-poll');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Egor Demin beat out Yang Hansen for biggest draft reach in ESPN poll');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nets-rookie-Egor-Demin.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Egor Demin beat out Yang Hansen for biggest draft reach in ESPN poll</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-24T10:25:34-07:00">July 24th, 10:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-24T10:25:34-07:00">July 24th, 10:25am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a survey of 20 anonymous NBA executive and scouts, Brooklyn Nets’ Egor Demin, the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, received the most votes for prospect with the biggest reach. Portland Blazers’ No. 16 overall pick, Yang Hansen, came in second, losing 7-4 in votes. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-coach-reveals-reason-egor-demins-summer-league-role-change">Demin showcased his offensive versatility in Summer League</a> as a facilitator and an off-the-ball scorer. It seemingly left a lasting impression.</p><p>Demin, who was drafted with the expectations of becoming a main distributor for the Nets, also played off the ball in Las Vegas, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45807536/2025-nba-draft-executives-debate-espn-poll-rookies-year-best-picks-summer-league" rel="noopener">giving him the slight edge</a> in comparison to Blazers’ Yang, per ESPN’s Jeremy Woo.</p><p>“Even if you believe in [Demin] as a starting NBA point guard — and I don’t — it seems like he would’ve been gettable at the end of the lottery, or even later,” one Eastern Conference executive said.</p><p>While Hansen, who was projected to be an early second-round pick, was taken early by the Blazers with hopes of him reaching a high ceiling.</p><p>“I like [Yang] — just didn’t see it coming, with him going right outside of the lottery,” another Eastern Conference executive said.</p><p>Yang Hansen also had an impressive showing at Summer League, including his playmaking abilities and offensive skillset. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in three games.</p><h2><b>Coach reveals reason for Egor Demin’s role change for Nets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Nets-rookie-Egor-Demin-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Nets’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-biggest-question-rookie-guards-must-answer-after-summer-league">Egor Demin is one of five first-round picks</a> that showcased their skillsets at Summer League in Las Vegas. Shooting was undoubtedly a priority, as it is for many team in today’s NBA, and the Nets selected a few of the better shooters in this year’s draft class. While Demin displayed his facilitating abilities, he also demonstrated his range.</p><p>Demin’s <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1945678722465661107/" rel="noopener">three-point shooting came naturally</a> in the flow of the offense, according to Nets Summer League head coach Steve Hetzel.</p><p>“I would say it’s more how it played out [than anything we planned],” Hetzel said. “The physicality of these players he’s going up against, some guys have been out of college for a while now. Their bodies are fully developed, and the physicality is something that he’s going to have to get used to. We saw the same things in his days at BYU in his ability to play pick-and-roll, and he’ll get there. But right now, he’s got to focus on the weight room, getting stronger, being able to hold off his defender, and then be able to play in the play-and-roll.”</p><p>In his first three outings, Demin shot 40.0 percent from three on 7.5 attempts per game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Egor Demin beat out Yang Hansen for biggest draft reach in ESPN poll

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-egor-demin-reveals-nba-players-drew-inspiration-from');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Egor Demin reveals which NBA players he drew inspiration from growing up');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Egor-Demin-reveals-NBA-players-he-drew-inspiration-from-growing-up.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Egor Demin reveals which NBA players he drew inspiration from growing up</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-21T13:09:54-07:00">July 21st, 1:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-21T13:12:14-07:00">July 21st, 1:12pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets top draft pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/sean-marks-reveals-nets-motivation-egor-demin-selection">Egor Demin is attempting to carve out a legacy</a> as the centerpiece of the team’s rebuild. The Russian floor general <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MnY5f3kNZU" rel="noopener">recently revealed</a> which NBA players he drew inspiration from during his youth.</p><p>The list includes two point guards with close ties to the Nets organization.</p><p>“I have guys I like. When I was growing up, I was watching a lot of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash,” Demin said on NBATV during Brooklyn’s final Summer League game. “I’m a big history guy. I like to watch how it was before and see Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kidd, Stockton. [Guys] where I see the beauty of basketball of creating for others. The beauty of the pass. Now, I can say Luka [Doncic]. That’s probably the biggest comparison to me, I guess. Where I want to be at in a couple of years.”</p><p>Demin, the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, represents Brooklyn’s first lottery selection since 2010.</p><h2>Nets draft pick Egor Demin reveals favorite NBA players to watch as a kid</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/USATSI_25744680.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>He is widely regarded as the best passer in this year’s draft. The 19-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/brooklyn-nets-2025-nba-draft-grade-for-no-8-pick-egor-demin">excelled as a pick-and-roll playmaker with BYU</a> last season, averaging 10.6 points and 5.5 assists per game.</p><p>“It’s always been natural,” Demin said of his passing ability. “Obviously, now it’s a little bit harder. Defensive players are really good here [in the NBA]. It’s the best defenders in the world. Now, it comes to the skill, too. Really, how can I read and react? Not just put everything on my instincts.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-coach-reveals-reason-egor-demins-summer-league-role-change">Demin will need to take significant strides as a ball-handler</a> if he hopes to be a primary initiator at the next level. The 6-foot-8 Russian struggled to handle pressure at points during his lone college season and at this year’s Summer League. He played primarily off the ball with the Nets in Las Vegas, attempting 23 of his 27 shots from three-point range over three appearances.</p><p>Demin’s ability to hold off opposing defenders and create separation will determine his viability as a point guard. The next time he’ll appear in a game will come when the Nets open the preseason in October.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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