What experts are saying about the Nets drafting Egor Demin

Egor Demin dons a cap as he walks on stage after being selected eighth by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York.

BYU fans were clearly ecstatic about Egor Demin being drafted No. 8 overall by the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night.

National media members, however, were less enthusiastic.

Demin was already regarded as one of the draft’s more polarizing prospects prior to Wednesday, but to be taken within the top 10 as Brooklyn’s first of five picks on the night only magnified that reputation.

Special Collector's Issue: "1984: The Year BYU was Second to None" Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football's 1984 National Championship season. Buy Now

However, some analysts agreed that the Russian teenager’s potential ceiling was enticing enough to merit his draft position and expressed belief in his long-term future as an NBA player.

Here are some of the most notable grades and reactions to the Nets selecting Demin.

“I’m surprised. Everybody calls him a point guard, but he’s 6-foot-9. I don’t buy into that. I see him as a facilitating forward. To draft him this high you believe in the upside and believe he’s a point guard. You don’t take a facilitating forward at this point in the draft especially when he struggles defensively and with shooting from the outside. He mostly defended forwards at BYU. Who will he guard in the NBA?” — Adam Finkelstein and Kyle Boone

“This is undoubtedly a huge swing for the Nets here. Demin has a rare ability at his size to make dazzling passes, which would give Brooklyn a jumbo-sized ball-handler. But he’s also struggled to shoot and create his own shot against lengthy defenders, making him more of a love-him or hate-him prospect than a sure thing. Whether he becomes a point guard in the NBA will depend on the development of his jumper.” — Kevin O’Connor

“The first of five first-rounders for Brooklyn is a surprise in Demin, who lands at the top of his range at No. 8. Demin’s a polarizing player, possessing impressive size and passing ability but lacking physicality and struggling from deep in his lone college season.

“Long term, the question is whether he ends up as a wing connector with an inconsistent outside shot or if he can emerge as an on-ball threat playing in ball screens. On paper, this looks like a reach.” — Kevin Sweeney

“I thought the Nets might target Demin given the scoring guards they currently have, but ... I didn’t expect them to take him at No. 8! For that reason, we’ll have to nitpick and ding them on this grade.

“Demin is one of the most talented ball-screen readers I’ve watched since I’ve been doing this — absolutely in the stratosphere of some of the best pick-and-roll prospects we’ve seen in recent years. ... Demin wasn’t just the chef for BYU’s offense, he was a full-blown caterer with the amount that was asked of him. In a balanced NBA offense we will likely see him shift into more of a connective role, and if that’s the case, his iffy jump shot may primarily consist of more straightforward catch-and-shoot looks.

“Beyond that, Demin needs to improve his balance to take NBA hits on both offense and defense. It’s a gamble that could go badly if those things don’t pan out, but Demin’s processing speed is near the top of this class.” — J. Kyle Mann

“Granted, before the college campaign tipped off, Demin looked like a top-10 talent in this class. Given all of the questions raised during his actual season, though, he no longer looked like a lottery lock.

“The blueprint is here for a jumbo playmaker, and those players can be hugely valuable in the modern NBA. But there are serious developmental obstacles that could keep him from ever approaching his full potential. That upside was worth a reach at some point, but this feels like a handful of picks before that point.

“Demin is probably the best passer in this draft — and he’s a 6-foot-9 teenager who might be able to defend wings if he can strengthen his 199-pound frame. Few players have this blend of height, feel and instincts. If he can clean up some of his shortcomings, there’s a non-zero chance stardom awaits him.

“It’ll just take a lot of skill improvements to get there. His jumper needs work, his handles are basic, and he doesn’t have an obvious home on defense.” — Zach Buckley

Other thoughts on Demin

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports: “Demin is the big swing by Brooklyn. He is a polarizing figure among scouts, but the Nets have bet on his upside. Demin is the best passer in this class, has a good feel for the game and has fantastic positional size as a 6-foot-9 point guard.

“The question is his shot and ability to score in general, but if that part of his game can be developed then this is going to look like a steal. If not … well, the Nets are rebuilding and it’s going to take time.”

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic: “If you think Demin can turn the corner in the NBA with the increased driving lanes that he’ll see, can improve his shot and can defend using his length more consistently, then you should have him as a top-10 player in the class. The tools here are outrageously interesting given his spectacular feel for the game as a passer and processor.

“I just wish that I could get there. Unfortunately, Demin has no track record of shooting, which makes me wonder how he’s supposed to score at the next level if that doesn’t develop. And if he can’t score, he likely won’t be able to consistently force the help rotations that would help him get the best out of his passing ability in half-court settings. Then on defense, I haven’t seen enough to believe that he can bring physicality and hold his line against physical drivers.

“If the jumper comes along for Demin, there is a chance that he is extremely valuable. Being able to shoot off the bounce and get to his step-back would open up the world for him as a driver and scorer, and thus allow him to leverage his elite passing ability. There might not be a more important swing skill in this class than Demin’s jumper. I’m ultimately not enough of a buyer on his touch to believe that it’s going to come at a difference-making level. There’s every chance that Demin ends up making this ranking look quite bad if the jumper works out.”

John Hollinger, The Athletic: “I’m a fan of Demin’s long-term potential as a big, ballhandling wing who can pass — the thing every team is looking for! — but he has to develop as a scorer to weaponize the threat of his passing. On a rebuilding Nets team, he’ll have plenty of time to develop."

Click here to read article