Wednesday night in New Orleans wasn’t a win, but it was something the Nets have been starving for.
It was a glimpse. Not of this season. Not of the standings. But of what Brooklyn’s backcourt could look like when the rebuild stops being theoretical and starts becoming obvious.
Rookies Egor Dëmin and Drake Powell gave the Nets that peek in that 116-113 loss to the Pelicans, putting together the kind of showing that feels bigger than the box score, even when the final score stings.
Dëmin finished with 17 points and five assists on 6-of-10 shooting, drilling 5-of-9 from 3-point range and posting an outrageous 85% true shooting for the night.
Standing at 6-9, Dëmin surveys the court with the vision of a quarterback and is already shooting with the poise of a seasoned NBA veteran, a far cry from his pre-draft evaluation. That rare blend is precisely why Sean Marks was willing to take the gamble on him. Across the league, oversized playmakers like this are the most coveted assets. Dëmin is still adjusting to the physicality and tempo of NBA games, yet performances like Wednesday’s serve as the clearest signal that his upside is sky-high.
Powell was right there with him.
The rookie wing scored 16 points with five rebounds and two assists, also going 6-for-10 from the field while knocking down 2-of-5 from deep. That’s 70.7% true shooting, the kind of efficiency that usually belongs to veterans who know exactly where their points are coming from. Powell didn’t look like he was hunting. He looked impactful.
“I’m very happy with the way he’s played,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “Does that mean he’s going to be there the whole time? There’s no guarantees here. If he keeps playing hard, we want to see that growth, same as everybody else. That goes for the rookies, that goes for everybody. Keep working, keep getting better. The opportunity is there, and you got to take advantage of it.”
Defense has always been Powell’s calling card, the skill that got him drafted and the reason the Nets believe he can become a foundational piece on that end. But the offensive flashes have started to arrive with more consistency, especially now that he’s cracked the starting lineup and is being trusted with a larger role.
That’s the part that matters. Not just that Dëmin can score or that Powell can defend. It’s that together, they can share the same floor without overshadowing each other.
Dëmin’s size and vision create space without needing speed. Powell’s two-way presence creates stability without needing touches. One stretches the defense with shooting and passing. The other compresses it with pressure, movement and physicality. In a league that’s obsessed with versatile backcourts, Brooklyn saw its future alignment for long enough Wednesday to believe it isn’t far away.
The Nets may still be in the midst of a five-game losing streak. They may still be living inside thin margins and younger mistakes. But this one wasn’t just another close loss on the schedule. It was proof of concept and a reminder that the rebuild isn’t only about patience. It’s about finding the right pieces, in the right roles, at the right time.
And for one night in New Orleans, the Nets looked like they might already have their backcourt of the future.
