Nets Rookie Makes Personal Admission Amid NBA Seas

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 2:12 PM ET

The Brooklyn Nets selected an NBA-record five players in the first round of the 2025 draft, but that hasn't helped them win right away. They're 1-10 ahead of Friday night's road matchup with the 6-6 Orlando Magic.

The Nets' best rookie so far has been guard Egor Demin, who they chose No. 8 overall out of BYU in June's draft. The 19-year-old is averaging 7.1 points on 39.3 percent shooting (37.5 percent 3-point) with 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists across 20.8 minutes per game.

Demin showed promise with the Cougars last season, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 10.6 points on 41.2 percent shooting with 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals over 27.5 minutes a game. The Russian international helped them reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2011 after becoming their first-ever five-star recruit, per SB Nation.

Demin admitted on Nov. 5 that he misses his college days, via the "From the Logo With Jimmer Fredette" podcast.

Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8)Brad Penner-Imagn Images

“I paid my rent, which was not easy. It was frustrating. Coming from Utah to New York and paying for rent—it's pretty hard, I can't lie…" he admitted. "From college at BYU, we do bonfire, we go play bowling, hikes, things like this. And here majority of people have families. Some guys have kids, wives, and then everybody’s tired. Nobody wanna really go and hang out. And if they do, majority of time it’s a club or something… I’m not trying to go to those places, that’s for sure.”

Demin is making $6.8 million on his rookie contract this season, per Spotrac. Meanwhile, the average rent in New York is $4,017 a month, which is 146 percent higher than the national average of $1,631, per Apartments.com.

Egor Demin Must Learn Adult Life While Adusting to NBA

Demin makes more than enough to afford New York's cost of living, but the lifestyle of a young adult on their own in the big city couldn't be more different than a college kid in Utah. Although the 6-foot-8, 200-pounder is living every hooper's dream, it still comes with challenges.

Demin must simultaneously grapple with that change while also competing in the world's best basketball league. The bright side is that he's on a rebuilding team, so he'll get plenty of minutes moving forward. That will help him develop and increase his value, which he could leverage into an expensive second contract when he hits restricted free agency in 2029.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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