Fans and experts criticized the Brooklyn Nets for drafting Egor Dëmin eighth overall in 2025, and one year later, he quieted the chatter with an impressive Summer League.

Mock drafts projected the BYU product as a late-first-round pick. Limited floor-spacing ability and improving his individual defense were significant concerns from scouts. He shot 27.3% from three on 4.7 attempts and had difficulties containing quicker guards on the perimeter.

Brooklyn overlooked those weaknesses and gambled by selecting him in the lottery. Turns out, it was a rather good bet by general manager Sean Marks, as Dëmin had a solid rookie season.

The 6-foot-8 guard transformed himself into an elite shooter, nailing 38.5% of his 6.2 threes. Such improvement became the hallmark of his success and high-scoring games, but he was a one-dimensional scorer.

Dëmin shot 39.9% from the field and struggled to drive downhill. He didn't have the muscle to deal with the increased physicality in the paint and finish over outstretched defenders.

When his season ended early due to plantar fasciitis, he decided to turn another weakness into a strength. The 20-year-old spent his offseason in the weight room, building out his frame to expand his game.

He made his return to the Summer League as a sophomore, and he looked like the best player on the court. Dëmin opened the California Classic with 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting against the Sacramento Kings.

The mindset shifted; instead of threes dominating his shot chart, it was two-point attempts. Brooklyn's second-year guard was driving downhill more often, embracing the contact and playing through it.

While he surprisingly struggled from beyond the arc (2-for-8), the newfound rim-seeking ability made him a much more efficient scorer. Dëmin ended Summer League shooting 47.3% overall.

“The biggest difference is his ability to get into the paint and into two-point range,” Nets Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley said. “We know he's a good shooter. He went 2-for-7 from three [on Monday]. I'm not very good at math, but that means he went 5-for-5 from two, and I'm pretty sure he was 4-for-4 from two in the first game."

His improvement signifies the Nets have hit on one of their five 2025 first-round selections. Nolan Traoré missed Summer League after undergoing a knee scope; Ben Saraf, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf showed flashes across the tournament, but not enough to stamp significant growth, like Dëmin.

Dëmin's showing is a promising sign for Brooklyn. He has become a versatile scorer on a rookie-scale contract.

The next step is maintaining his performance across an 82-game regular season. Pairing downhill scoring with elite shooting could turn Dëmin from a head-scratching gamble to one of the best steals from the 2025 draft class.

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