Nets use No. 8 pick on BYU's Egor Demin

Armed with five first-round picks entering Wednesday’s draft, the Brooklyn Nets have used the first of them — No. 8 — on BYU’s Egor Demin.

It’s the first major surprise of the night, as Demin was just outside the top 10 in most mock drafts leading up to the draft.

At 6-foot-9, Demin has the length of a forward but the skill set of a guard — ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has referred to him as the best passer in this year’s draft class, noting that the 19-year-old’s combination of size and play-making ability is rare.

Demin, who was born in Russia, played for Real Madrid’s B squad in Spain before making the move to BYU for the 2024-25 season. He was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team after averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 27.5 minutes per game across 33 starts, with a shooting line of .412/.273/.695.

On paper, Demin makes sense for a Nets team that is virtually a blank slate. Brooklyn was competitive under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez despite the 26-56 record, but the Nets don’t have a true No. 1 under contract. Even if they re-sign Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, they have the room to take swings on high-upside players.

Brooklyn also doesn’t have a true point guard on the roster. Demin provides lead-guard intrigue with his passing ability, though it will be interesting to see how he scores at the NBA level.