Egor Demin, the Nets’ first lottery pick in 15 years, entered his rookie season with questions about his shooting and quickly silenced them, knocking down seven of his first 11 3-pointers and hitting 40.9% from deep overall in first four games.
“I think it goes with putting the work in, so all the credit to him,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “Obviously, the coaches, he works with them. And once you put the work in, you see it go in. When you shoot it in a game you believe in all of what you’ve done before.”
If Brooklyn had drafted Demin to be a pure movement shooter in the mold of Joe Harris, his early numbers would look terrific. But the Nets invested the eighth pick in him to become their lead creator, and his limited playmaking so far adds more nuance to that early success.
Through four games, each of Demin’s 22 shot attempts has come from behind the arc. He’s looked hesitant to pressure the rim, averaging only 2.5 assists with a season-high of four against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Entering Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center, he sits just two 3-point attempts shy of the league record for most 3s without a two-point shot to open a career.
Even by rookie standards, his lack of aggression getting downhill is hard to ignore. With Brooklyn’s other rookie guards offering little offensive punch, veteran forward Terance Mann assumed more playmaking duties in Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, while Demin sat the entire fourth quarter.
Brooklyn’s offense has held its own, but unlocking its full potential depends on Demin and the other rookie guards learning how to generate better movement and spacing for the group around them.
“I think it starts with the point guard spot,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “We have a lot of rookie point guards who are going to be great in this league for a long time, but they’re still rookies… I think the point guard position may be the hardest position in the game, and we have a lot of young guys playing that position. So, it’s really hard to win when that point guard spot isn’t solidified.”
Demin clearly has progress to make in that area, but he’s shown an understanding of his own limitations, and that awareness is often where real development begins.
“I think mentality is a big part of it, how aggressive I am mentally,” Demin said. “For now, I wish I was more aggressive putting pressure on the rim. And I think that is what I’m missing in my game right now… That is where it’s going to open up so many more opportunities for all of us — me personally and my teammates. I think that’s something I’ve got to overall get together physicality-wise, technical-wise and mentally.”
Fernández said the Nets are encouraging Demin to expand his game beyond the arc and become more assertive attacking the paint. He noted that while the rookie’s perimeter shooting has already made him a threat, the next step is learning how to draw contact, make reads off two feet and create for others when defenses collapse.
“He’s got to figure it out,” Fernández said. “Obviously, I want him to touch the paint. Everybody will figure it out that he’s a threat from the 3-point line, but he cannot play just behind the 3.”
