Analyst Says Nets Rookie Is Showing Shades Former Warriors Star

When the Nets made their first selection of the 2025 NBA Draft, they appeared to land a rangy point guard with a size advantage over most players at the position. While Egor Demin’s ball-handling and distributing ability may still be a work in progress, he’s surprised many by emerging as one of NBA Summer League’s top sharpshooters.

In a recent article by CBS Sports’ James Herbert, Demin’s performance even drew comparisons to Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, a five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion.

"In Vegas, Demin has been more Klay Thompson than Shaun Livingston. On a per-minute basis, he has attempted 3s about twice as frequently as he did in college, and he has made 43% of them," said Herbert. "The 19-year-old said after his first game that he now prefers to call himself a playmaker rather than a point guard"

Through three Summer League games, Demin averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 40.7% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc.

As a player with a relatively polished and well-rounded skillset for his age, Herbert explained that adding a consistent jump shot to his repertoire could work wonders for his game.

"The idea of him turning into a deadeye shooter is tantalizing," said Herbert. "If his pull-up jumper becomes enough of a threat that defenses have to guard his pick-and-rolls aggressively, it will amplify his passing."

As a freshman at BYU, Demin made the Big 12 All-Freshman Team while averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Interestingly, Demin wasn’t an efficient shooter in college, shooting just 27% from beyond the arc during his most recent collegiate season.

However, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez doesn’t seem concerned, saying he expects Demin to develop into a reliable shooter at the NBA level.

"His ability to shoot the ball. He’s gonna shoot the ball very well in this league," Fernandez told ClutchPoints' Erik Slater. "That is another thing that excites us. But also his work ethic. We know he’s gonna show up, he’s gonna work every day. That’s something that caught our eye."

After averaging 13 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for Real Madrid's B team, Demin became a five-star recruit once he announced his intentions to play college basketball in the United States. Despite being just 19 years old, Demin has been playing professionally since 15, when he left Russia to join Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.