Brooklyn Nets Guard Egor Demin and His Adjustment to NBA Physicality

The Brooklyn Nets took three point guards in the 2025 NBA Draft with the idea that no singular player will take on the whole playmaking workload. The No. 8 pick, Egor Demin, is still expected to take on the majority of ball-handling duties for Brooklyn in year one.

Demin is gradually adapting to professional coverages. He mentioned in an interview with Erik Slater that this adjustment is similar to his transition starting conference play at BYU.

"The games against Houston, the games against Iowa State, the games against Arizona, Baylor, where they’re really trying to break you," Demin said. "It's a big transition."

The 19-year-old Russian phenom is still figuring out his style. Demin noted a game against Providence where he struggled with their physical defense.

"Everybody saw this game. I can’t say it was the best experience I’ve ever had," Demin said. "But it was a really useful game because those games prepared me for the most important part of the season in March Madness."

Nets' head coach Jordi Fernandez has credited Demin's work ethic and IQ as reasons for selecting him. At such a young age, he is humble and can identify where he needs to improve.

Demin's high dribbling has caused him problems in the past, and he identifies this flaw as something that opposing defenses could exploit. However, he has made improvements during Summer League practices, where his teammates play tough defense against him to enhance his ball-handling skills.

"Tyson, Q, TJ, Dre, all these guys were guarding me in the practices," Demin said. "Having these experiences, not just in the games, but in practice is huge.”

It is clear why the Nets organization valued Demin during the draft. His mature mentality makes his development much easier.