When the Brooklyn Nets picked Egor Dëmin eighth in the 2025 NBA Draft, plenty of fans and analysts were a bit confused by the pick. Here’s the skinny 19-year-old, six-foot-nine guard from BYU, all arms and legs, and honestly, his college stats didn’t exactly scream “future star” by any means. His offense was rough: shooting and finishing. It was a mixed bag of emotion for every Nets fan. But fast forward to the middle of his rookie season, and Dëmin’s turning heads for all the right reasons for Nets fans. That risky draft choice? All of a sudden, it turned into one of the smartest moves the Nets have made in a draft in a while.

Draft Night Doubts and Early Expectations

Dëmin came into the draft with a lot of hype, a huge wingspan, real guard skills, and that sense he just “gets” the game. Scouts loved what he brought physically and said his court vision stood out. They figured his feel for the game would probably work in the NBA. However, the risks were hard to ignore. He needed to bulk up. His jumper just wasn't there yet, and he was not great at creating his own shot against serious defense. When Brooklyn picked him, reactions were all over the place. Some people just didn’t buy it. All over the league, you heard the same thing from analysts and writers, and everyone mostly saw it as a reach. ESPN ran polls, and, sure enough, Dëmin’s name kept coming up as one of the most debated picks in that entire stretch.

Nevertheless, in the Nets' long search for versatile playmaking on the perimeter, they saw a uniquely high-upside guard. He’s got the size, sharp court vision, real basketball smarts, and the ability to play just about anywhere on the floor. That’s exactly what the Nets want as they rebuild. Nobody’s totally certain what his NBA role looks like right away, but his skill set fits what Brooklyn’s building.

Early Development and Breakouts

Dëmin’s first season in Brooklyn so far has turned a lot of heads; even if you had to look past the game versus the Utah Jazz, the box score shows why. He didn’t light up the highlight reels with flashy drives or wild scoring runs like some rookies are currently doing (Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel doing battle was epic, and VJ Edgecombe has been amazing as well).

At first glance, his game looked pretty quiet. But if you actually watched him play, you could see why Dëmin is earning his place in the NBA. Dëmin seems to know how to help his team win, despite the Nets' rebuilding years still being in effect. He makes the right reads and does the little things that never show up in the stats but always matter when the game’s on the line.

Dëmin’s first year in Brooklyn so far has turned out to be a lot more interesting than the numbers alone suggest. The biggest surprise with Dëmin has to be how much he’s grown as a three-point shooter. Back at BYU, he barely hit 27% from deep, which made people question if he’d ever be able to space the floor in the NBA or force defenders to respect his shot despite his size and height, but he put in real work during the offseason, going above and beyond with his mechanics and sticking with it.

Now, he’s turned that weakness into a real strength at the pro level with him shooting 40.2%. That’s pretty impressive, especially considering his age and where he was drafted. Defenses have to pay attention to his shooting now, so he’s got more space to drive or find open teammates, those opportunities just weren’t there before.

Demin’s shooting isn’t just better; it’s become ridiculously consistent. He nailed a three-pointer in 34 games in a row, which set a new NBA rookie record. In only 40 NBA games, he’s already hit 98 threes. There’s just one rookie ahead of him. He’s making them count for a young Nets team that has been dreadful in terms of shooting. At least, he's been the best shooter on the team, bar none.

On top of that, Dëmin broke the Nets’ rookie record for threes in a game with seven, and he’s had more games with five or more threes than any other Nets rookie. That’s wild when you remember most people used to think his shooting was a huge problem during the draft.

Rookie Ladder Recognition

People around the league are paying attention to Dëmin’s early run. NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder, made by Steve Aschburner, takes a weekly look at who’s making noise among the rookies. Dëmin has already pushed him into the top-10, and he even climbed as high as No. 9. Rookie rankings do come with some mixed feelings, but that kind of bump says a lot about how much impact he’s actually having for this Nets team.

That ranking really shows how opinions about Dëmin are changing. People are starting to see what he brings to the NBA game prior to his BYU days, a reliable three-point shot, the ability to slot in wherever the team needs him, and real progress running the point.

Intangibles and Advanced Impact

What stands out about Dëmin’s rookie season isn’t just what you see in the box score. He brings a ton of value when you dig into the advanced stats and fan breakdowns. You’ll see his Estimated Plus-Minus, or EPM, puts him right up there with the top rookies in his class, even given Kneuppel’s shooting efficiency this season. When you stack him against the big names, his on-court impact also holds up.

Among 19-year-old rookies, Dëmin's -0.4 EPM (66th percentile) ties Flagg for best in the group. To be fair, Flagg just turned 19, but he also already has the strength to drive, even without an NBA-level jumper.

On defense, Dëmin uses his size and sharp instincts to challenge shots and rotate smoothly. He always seems to know where to be, putting himself in the right spot for switches and helping defense. And when he has the ball, he keeps it moving. His passing doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it opens up better looks for everyone else.

Dëmin posts +0.2 Defensive EPM (69th percentile). Positive defensive impact as a teenage point guard. He's contesting shots from angles shorter guards can't reach. Rotating to the weak side when primary help commits. Not getting lost on screens because his brain has already mapped where the action is going.

None of this makes the highlight reel, but all of it makes his team better.

2026 NBA Rising Stars Competition

Dëmin’s growth hasn’t gone unnoticed. He landed a spot in the2026 NBA Rising Stars Competition during All-Star Weekend, which really says a lot about where he stands among the league’s top young talent. For the Nets, this was their first Rising Stars pick since 2019. That alone shows just how rare and impressive Dëmin’s rookie year has been.

When Dëmin steps onto the Rising Stars stage, the whole country gets a look at what he can do. He’s not just making noise in Brooklyn; people across the league are starting to take notice. This kind of spotlight really pushes his profile to another level

Egor Dëmin on His Growth

One thing that really stands out about Dëmin so far this season is how he talks about his own growth, especially when it comes to his shooting and the way defenders react to him now. He hasn't shielded away from sharing what's gone into improving his shot.

Dëmin looked back on the work that turned him into a real three-point threat. He pointed to one thing: just showing up, over and over. Dëmin said in a locker room interview with John Coon, "Shooting the ball. As simple as it is, just being in the gym and shooting the ball.”

Dëmin leaned into the challenge. He pointed to his coaches and the work they put in together, saying that’s what got him ready for the pros. “He’s an NBA coach, so he taught me—in this one year—basically whatever I have to know to be able to play at the NBA level… He gave us a lot of knowledge so that I come here and I’m ready to play, and I know what we’re doing, and I have an idea of what it is.”

Looking Forward: What’s Next for Dëmin and Brooklyn

If you’re looking at the Brooklyn Nets from the franchise’s angle, Dëmin’s growth changes everything about how Brooklyn builds its roster. As the team preps to build talent around him, with his skills as a point forward, setting up teammates, stretching the floor, and guarding different spots, it starts to matter even more to the franchise. You’ll see his impact grow, and pretty soon, the way they put this team together starts to revolve around what he can do.

Egor Dëmin jumped into the NBA with a lot of people doubting him, and now, just a few months in, he’s already changed the conversation. Dëmin’s tweaked his shot, showed off some real defensive chops, and found ways to make an impact that don’t always show up in the box score. He’s proved he belongs, and honestly, he’s becoming a big piece of what Brooklyn’s trying to build.

Brooklyn’s still in rebuild mode, but Dëmin’s rise is already turning heads, not just in their own locker room, but all over the league. If he keeps this up, his story’s going to be one of the best things to come out of Brooklyn in a long time.