While rookies such as AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson garnered most of the NBA Summer League headlines, there may not have been a more impressive second-year player in the event than Egor Dëmin.
The former BYU star averaged 21.8 points with 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals across five outings with the Brooklyn Nets, making his return to the court after a foot injury — plantar fasciitis, specifically — prematurely ended his rookie campaign this past February.
Dëmin’s summer performance made two things very clear: He’s back to full strength, and he’s come a long way as a player since last year, even being recognized as the “Best Sophomore” in Summer League by ESPN’s Ben Golliver.
“Boy, has the switch flipped for Dëmin,” wrote Golliver. “... (He) looked like a completely different and much more complete player this summer: He attacked off the dribble with greater regularity, finished in traffic and made good, assertive decisions as a playmaker.
“The Nets desperately need some of their recent draft picks to emerge as difference-makers, and Demin took a nice step in that direction.”
Drafted No. 8 overall by Brooklyn in 2025, Dëmin appeared in 52 games as a 19-year-old rookie for the Nets, averaging 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
He proved surprisingly prolific as a 3-point shooter, making 39% of his deep shots after shooting just 27% from behind the arc at BYU.
In fact, Dëmin even broke the NBA record for most consecutive games with a 3-point make by a rookie (34) and logged 32 nights of multiple made triples.
But having already proven he can knock down outside shots as a professional, Dëmin entered Summer League looking to make a statement regarding his ability inside the arc.
Such an effort would be backed by the 13 to 15 pounds Dëmin said he’s put on since February, as gaining healthy weight was his “emphasis of the offseason.”
“I believe that as long as I get stronger in the lifting room, that’s going to help me to execute certain things on the court,” Dëmin told The New York Post.
Dëmin’s belief rang true in Summer League. 3-pointers still led his offensive workload, but he toiled harder downhill to attempt 32% of his shots in the paint.
After having been punchless at times down low as a rookie, Dëmin shot 84% around the rim in five July contests, making 76% of his total 2-pointers in all.
He was fearless in flying down the lane, refusing to be bothered or pushed around in the paint. There was a visible sense of confidence in Dëmin’s inside game that he hadn’t shown since his BYU days, but now coupled with newfound toughness and physicality to take advantage of his 6-foot-8 frame.
“What I’m thinking about is how can I get those habits of getting to the paint as much as I can,” Demin said. “I got so much stronger and that gave me more confidence.
“Obviously, trying is the next step, right? So, as much as I try, I think it gets better and better. So, I’m very excited with all the work that I’ve done for that, and it’s gonna keep growing for sure.”
Being able to hit the paint and attack the rim won’t just make Dëmin a more well-rounded scoring threat or give him more clean 3-point looks — it could bring his top college trait back into the spotlight.
He was touted as the best passer in his draft class, and while he wasn’t asked to do much as a playmaker last year, Dëmin’s paint improvement should boost his assist numbers with more drive-and-kick or pick-and-roll opportunities.
Given his past creative passing prowess, the more Dëmin can get downhill now, the more he’ll be able to leverage his gravity to create scoring around him, including from his new teammates in three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle and recent No. 6 overall draft selection Mikel Brown Jr.
“(Egor has) done an outstanding job of putting weight on,” Nets summer league coach Dutch Gaitley told The Post. “But it’s easy to just show it off while you’re walking around the gym. The hard part is now can you have carryover?
“And Egor has been able to show his ability to get into the paint, hit midrange, get into the paint and make plays for other guys. That’s probably been his most (encouraging growth area). His comfort level with his strength is just going to open up so much of his game for himself or his teammates.”
