Wednesday night, beginning at 6 p.m. MT, the first round of the 2025 NBA draft will be held in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Thirty selections will be made and the players chosen will, in many cases, be seen as the future of their respective franchises.
Expected to be among the 30 players selected is BYU men’s basketball standout Egor Demin, who was a presumed lottery pick when he left Real Madrid to sign with BYU last summer.
Demin may still end up being a lottery pick, but is that where draft experts expect him to be taken?
Here are the latest draft projections for Demin.
ESPN
- No. 13 to the Atlanta Hawks
“Demin is another player teams have found tough to pin down in terms of his landing spot, having worked out for the vast majority of teams inside the top 20. Teams believe he’s a candidate for Toronto, Portland and Chicago as well as a sleeper target for Brooklyn, but it’s possible he’ll slip past that — at which point there’s a best-available case for a team such as the Hawks to simply take a swing.
“Holding this pick and No. 22, the Hawks have the ability to move around in the draft, but they are in position to go best-available and pair the picks positionally if they stay put. Other players tied to Atlanta include Carter Bryant and most of the bigs in this range, including Beringer, Murray-Boyles and others. At his size, Demin’s potential versatility as a perimeter playmaker stands out in the context of this class. The development of his jumper, something he has worked to showcase in private, is one of the more pivotal swing skills for any prospect.” – Jeremy Woo
CBS Sports
- No. 17 to the Minnesota Timberwolves
“Most believe that Minnesota will look to address their frontcourt with this pick. There’s also a need for a ball-mover alongside Anthony Edwards and other scoring guards like Rob Dillingham. Demin might check both boxes. While he’s often called a point guard, he measured out at over 6-9 with shoes on and most often defended opposing forwards last year with BYU. Most importantly, he may be the best passer in the draft.” — Adam Finkelstein
The Athletic
- No. 19 to the Brooklyn Nets
“Demin can play the point and is the best passer in the class. His vision is sublime. But he struggled to score this year. He struggled to get paint touches because his handle is not particularly developed, and he doesn’t have the threat of the jumper to fall back on, having made under 30 percent from distance. Still, many teams think they can fix the jumper, and if so, it would open up the rest of his game as a passer and playmaker.
“I’m a bit lower on Demin, but evaluators who like him tend to love him. He had a strong workout in Chicago in front of NBA executives, but that steam has died down somewhat over the last month. He could go anywhere from the back half of the lottery to No. 21. The Nets are also thought to be exploring moves consolidating this pick with some of their others to move back up into the lottery.” — Sam Vecenie
Bleacher Report
- No. 17 to the Minnesota Timberwolves
“Egor Demin will earn consideration from late-lottery teams that buy the playmaking and are willing to bet on his shooting development. He does have doubters who believe his college three-point numbers are more indicative than his workout makes and question his decision-making, defense and off-ball value. But the passing does feel real, particularly for a 6′9″ ball-handler. His role will be clear early on—generate transition offense and set the table for teammates in the half court." — Jonathan Wasserman
Could the Utah Jazz select Egor Demin?
The Jazz have multiple first round picks in the draft — No. 5 and No. 21 — and are in need of a talent influx basically across the roster. That makes Demin an intriguing possibility, per the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd.
“It’s been really hard to pinpoint where Demin is going to fall in the draft, but there’s a possibility that he’s still on the board when the Jazz pick. If he is, it could be a super high upside swing that would also make the fanbase happy about keeping a “hometown” guy. Demin has a lot of unpolished upside. He’s an incredible passer and with his length, he could be ultra valuable as a playmaker in the NBA as well as a defender," she wrote.
“There are absolutely reasons to be worried about him as a shooter, with his best shooting moments coming before conference play started last season. But, if he was on a team where his playmaking and decision-making was a priority, allowing him more time to work on his shot, it could be a perfect situation.”
The most recent draft projections have Demin going before the Jazz’s selection at No. 21, and it is difficult to find many who believe Demin is worth a top 10 selection. All of which might necessitate a trade up in the draft if the Jazz do want to acquire Demin.
Based on the latest projections, Demin might be one of the most significant wildcards in the draft.