Brooklyn Nets: What are Expectations for Egor Demin?

The Brooklyn Nets' NBA Draft selection of Egor Demin has faced scrutiny as a reach of a pick.

Now, there is added pressure on Demin to prove doubters wrong and have a successful year one. A good way to manage his goals is to look back at past players in his draft position.

From 2021 to 2024, the four players drafted at No. 8 were Franz Wagner, Dyson Daniels, Jarace Walker and Rob Dillingham. These players were unique and had different situations than what Demin will see in Brooklyn.

For the sake of fair comparison, let's look at how these players' rookie years went instead of how they are currently.

Starting with Wagner, his path to playing time could be similar to what Demin sees this year. The former Michigan Wolverine started in all 79 games he played in and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.

In Wagner's rookie year, the Orlando Magic ended with a 22-60 record, which is a similar outcome that the Nets could expect in a heavily developmental season. Wagner had a usage rate of 21.2%, indicating that the offense frequently ran through him while he was on the court. His rookie season should be viewed as a ceiling for what Demin can achieve in his first year.

Looking at another international player taken at No. 8 in Daniels, he saw less opportunity on a New Orleans Pelicans team competing for the playoffs. He played in 59 games and started in 11.

Daniels took longer to develop due to his team's aspirations, but his three-point shooting numbers might end up looking similar. He shot 31.4% from beyond the arc after facing challenges with that skill while in Australia. Demin may receive comparable playing time to Daniels if another young guard on the Nets proves to be more ready for the NBA.

Moving on to the two most recent draft picks selected at No. 8, Walker and Dillingham, both have found themselves in challenging situations regarding playing time. Walker is with the Indiana Pacers, who made it to the NBA Finals in his sophomore season, while Dillingham is part of a similarly loaded Minnesota Timberwolves roster.

The two young lottery picks played a combined total of 82 games in their rookie seasons. Demin should be far ahead of them in terms of receiving developmental minutes early in his career.

Walker and Dillingham are outliers among players chosen early in the draft, and Demin's rookie season will likely reflect a performance level between that of Daniels and Wagner.