Breaking Down Nets Rookie Egor Demin's First Two NBA Games

The Nets fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their home opener, 131-124, but against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn was extremely competitive on the offensive end. They shot 51% from the field and 42.2% from three.

Demin, in particular, rose to the occasion off the bench. In 25 minutes of action, he was active on most parts of the floor, putting up nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

The 19-year-old's best highlight came with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Down four, Demin hit a clutch three-pointer to cut the lead to one. The Barclays Center exploded, seeing their lottery pick fired up.

Demin's offensive game has looked solid thus far, but one concern has been his lack of aggressiveness inside the arc. In 47 minutes of regular-season action, he has one shot attempted within the three-point line, which was called for a foul. He does not have a two-point field goal attempt recorded yet.

What's most surprising about this is that three-point shooting was Demin's biggest concern before the draft. It seems the script has flipped on that narrative, because now there is concern was his ability to get to the basket.

Passing is certainly not an issue. Even from the wing, where he has produced the most, he can facilitate like a point guard. Having established scorers like Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. has benefited Brooklyn's offense.

As the season moves along, Demin will get more opportunities to make an impact on both sides of the floor. Remember, he's doing all of this off the bench with Ben Saraf, the No. 26 of the 2025 draft, starting at point guard. The Russian rookie is more of a facilitating wing, which is why Jordi Fernandez has him coming in later in the game.