Jordi Fernandez Confident Egor Demin Will Be a Knockdown Shooter for the Nets

As a freshman at BYU, Egor Demin shot just 27.3% from three. Despite his 6-foot-9 frame and elite floor vision, this stat led many to say the Brooklyn Nets reached when they took him eighth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Pre-draft, Kevin O'Connor listed the deep ball as Demin's biggest weakness.

"There aren’t many indicators that inspire optimism in his shot. He made only 69.5% of his free throws and doesn’t have soft touch on tough layups or floaters. He made only 27.3% of his dribble-jumper 2s, 23.9% of his dribble-jumper 3s, and 27.3% of his catch-and-shoot 3s, per Synergy," O'Connor wrote. "Additionally, with stiff mechanics and a shaky ability to create his own shot against pressure, he clearly has quite a long way to go."

Luckily for Demin, he landed in a situation where his new head coach is renowned as a player development guru, that being Jordi Fernandez.

At Brooklyn's introductory press conference, which included all five rookies the Nets took in the first round, Fernandez spoke on Demin's deep ball.

"His ability to shoot the ball [attracted us]. He’s gonna shoot the ball very well in this league. That is another thing that excites us," Fernandez said via ClutchPoints' Erik Slater.

While Fernandez didn't directly address Demin's ability to shoot the three, the excitement surrounding his shot is enough to silence the doubters.

The 19-year-old will have a full summer league stint and training camp to work on his mechanics before he is expected to become Brooklyn's starting point guard, which gives Demin about four months to improve his stroke.

Two players who could serve as blueprints for Demin happen to be some of the NBA's brightest stars.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 27.5% from three in his final season with Metropolitans 92, and eventually shot 32.2% from downtown in his rookie season. That's a near-five percent jump after just one offseason.

Kevin Durant experienced similar improvement, albeit his came after his rookie campaign. In his first year as a pro, Durant shot 28.8% from three before climbing all the way to 42.2% in his sophomore season.

Demin ins't guaranteed to be a marksman from behind the arc come the beginning of the 2025-26 season, but those bashing the Nets for their selection must not understand that he'll improve with more reps.