Why Nets Rookie Point Guard Has Most to Prove in Summer League

A native of Moscow, Russia, Demin was a player for the Real Madrid U18 team, where he was a standout player, earning a scholarship from BYU en route to the Brooklyn Nets

Demin has not been regarded for his volume shooting or scoring abilities, but rather highlighted for his playmaking, IQ and pro readiness coming out of BYU. In his lone season as a Cougar, Demin averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 27.3% from behind the arc.

After he was selected, there were mixed emotions and questions surrounding the Nets' first choice of the NBA Draft, and those questions were quickly piled on when Brooklyn selected an additional two overseas point guards in Nolan Traore (France) and Ben Saraf (Israel).

Heading into this year's Summer League, which is set to start on July 11, all of the Nets' rookies will have eyes on them as they could all potentially crack the main roster with Brooklyn heading for a rebuild year.

Out of all the rookies, however, Demin could be under the most scrutiny as Brooklyn fans still share mixed emotions, being that he was Brooklyn's top overall selection when players like Khaman Maluach were available if they were going to dip into the overseas guards after the No. 8 pick.

The Russian guard is certainly up for the challenge, though, as he told the media he believes the Nets organization is a good fit for his playstyle.

"Well, I think I'm just a good, good fit. This team is a good fit for me, and I'm a good fit for this team," Demin said during the Nets' NBA Draft press conference. "Just being able to run coast to coast. And for me, how efficiently can I find those defensive rebounds and just find the outlet as fast as I can. Find somebody in front of me who can finish at the rim or find the corners, right, since we're going to learn a lot of spacing, it's going to be a lot of screens and all that."

If Demin can prove to be as good of a playmaker as advertised, then pairing him alongside a volume shooter like Cam Thomas and now with the addition of sharpshooting Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn could be setting itself up for a competitive rebuild next season in a wide-open Eastern Conference.