Nets’ Egor Demin makes ‘heat check’ admission after Summer League daggers

Demin finished with 14 points and five rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from three.

Egor Demin’s clutch shooting lifts Nets to first Summer League win

The rookie had a pair of sloppy turnovers that aided Orlando’s comeback leading up to the game’s final minutes. However, he made up for it with his three-point barrage to earn his first clutch win with the Nets.

“It’s almost like a clutch [moment], right? Our turnovers and some of our mistakes earlier on caused this comeback. And now it’s almost like, okay, how can I prove, right? How can I get it back?” Demin said. “In theory, [us being in that spot] was because of me, right? Part of it was mine, part of it was Danny [Wolf]. And we wanted to get it back, with efficiency on the floor, on the ball, off the ball, whatever it is. So, that’s the flow of the game. Everything can change in a second.

“We were winning by 20, then they got back [in it]. I got two turnovers; it looks like I’m down. But then I hit three shots. Same as Danny, right? He lost the ball a couple of times, missed the shot, but then he got back and scored with free throws and under the rim. So it’s a flow of the game. That’s how it works, I guess.”

Egor Demin’s three-point shooting was a primary concern entering the draft after he converted 27 percent of his attempts at BYU. However, the Nets’ brass has been adamant that the Russian will be a high-level floor-spacer.

Their top draft choice has backed up that assessment in Las Vegas, shooting 43.5 percent from three on 7.7 attempts per game.

“I’m just happy for Egor [Demin]. Those were big shots. He stepped in, took them and made them. He is a very, very good shooter,” Nets Summer League head coach Steve Hetzel said after Wednesday’s win. “I think he probably felt a sense of relief. And this is what he’s been trying to show everybody, you know, how good of a player he is. And so in that moment, I feel really happy for him.

“We asked the guys to just play one full clean game, and I thought we did three quarters. And then obviously the 39 points in the fourth was kind of a mess. And that kind of stuff happens with momentum, it happens in real NBA games… Just got to watch the film, learn from it, and see how you can sustain the lead. But excellent job building it. They played extremely well for three quarters.”

With fellow first-round picks Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf resting, Wolf also turned in his best performance at Summer League during the win. The No. 27 pick scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.

The victory comes after the Michigan big man struggled during his first two appearances.

“Everyone always says before you go in that Summer League is about learning, and it’s gonna be a different game. I think I felt more so than others did that in the first game, and I’m sure everyone else saw that,” Wolf said. “I was just a little bit too sped up, and I went into this game kind of with a more relaxed mindset. Just to let the game come to me a little bit better and do what I do best. Just play a little bit slower.

“I think I did that to the best of my ability today. I think in the fourth quarter, again, I got a little sped up, but I thought I played a pretty controlled game. I still could’ve been a little more aggressive here and there and done a few things differently. But the coaching staff was great all week. I got in the gym a lot and watched a lot of film. I thought today was a solid game, and there’s so many more games for me to go.”