Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Egor Demin

Stats: 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, 41.2% FG, 27.3% 3P, 69.5% FT

Draft Range: Lottery to early twenties

Analysis

Demin was one of the hottest prospects in college basketball the first few weeks of the season. The combination of playing against poor competition and his shot falling made him look like one of the best prospects in the class and allowed his combination of size and elite playmaking to pop.

Unfortunately, the production didn’t hold up against a better combination, his shot stopped going in, and he dealt with some injuries throughout the season. Demin still projects as a first-round pick in the upcoming draft and may even hear his name called in the top 10.

His connection to Utah and the Jazz is clear, given Ryan Smith and Danny Ainge’s involvement with the BYU basketball program. Because of this, the Jazz likely know Demin as well as any other prospect in the class, and could invest in him long-term.

Demin stands at 6’9, which, if he develops into a point guard, gives him elite positional size. This size undoubtedly helps him with his passing, as he can see over defenders and use his long arms to create angles that other players simply can’t.

Passing is his elite skill, and Demin led all freshmen in college basketball last season with a 34.6 assist percentage. Demin is a pass-first player who operates to find his teammates open looks on offense. The problem right now is that Demin doesn’t have a great handle or the athletic burst to get to his spots or create space for himself to execute these passes consistently.

He often needs a screen to get an angle on his defender, but struggling to create consistent separation against college players does not provide hope that this will improve at the NBA level. Demin also needs to get much better at handling pressure if he’s going to be deployed as a point guard. 

As for the shot, it looks better than what the results would tell you. He’s going to have to become more efficient, as a true shooting percentage hovering around 50% won’t cut it. He shot 27% from deep and below 70% from the free throw line.

Defensively, Demin is at least big enough that you can hide him on a lot of different guys. His long arms also helped him get into passing lanes and steal the ball at a high level. I worry about his foot speed, especially if he’s going to be tasked with staying in front of guards. He also needs to get stronger so that he can hold his ground.

Whoever drafts Demin isn’t taking him for his defense, though. You’re taking him because he’s arguably the best passer in the draft class at 6’9. 

I think Demin is a fairly big risk, especially early in the draft. Aside from passing, I don’t know what he does at an NBA level. His limitations athletically and as a ball handler also make me question how much the passing will shine at the next level.

Demin likely will hear his name called sometime between Utah’s two first-round picks. If he’s on the board at 21, I think he would be hard for the Jazz to pass up, given the obvious connections. How he’d fit into this group is unclear, though his passing would be a big boost for the rest of the roster. 

More Jazz Draft Content

• Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Jeremiah Fears
• Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Cedric Coward
• Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Liam McNeeley
• Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Rasheer Fleming
• Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft Profile: Drake Powell