Just six months ago, it was difficult for even the most devoted fans of the young basketball player to imagine Yegor Demin as a solid player in the starting five of an NBA team. Now this is a reality in which the 19-year-old Brooklyn Nets guard fully justifies his coach’s trust.

In the next regular season match against Toronto (96:81), one of the brightest newcomers of the 2025 draft became an important factor in the victory and updated his personal record in terms of utility.

Decided at just the right moment

More recently, Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez harshly criticized Demin. After the Russian’s disastrous game with Dallas on December 13, the Spanish specialist made it clear that Egor had exhausted the limit on weak matches. For a young guy, a public spanking from a coach was an excellent test of psychological stability. It was easy to break down after such words, but Demin played three games in a row, in which he averaged 15.6 points. First, he became the most productive player in the match with Milwaukee, then he showed himself well in the game with Miami, and on Sunday he became one of the main constructors of the victory over the strong Toronto.

Demin appeared in the Nets’ starting five for the 18th time in a row, which already speaks of enormous trust on the part of the coaching staff. The last Russian who was on the floor so often from the first minutes was Timofey Mozgov in the 2016/17 season. At the same time, the famous center received less playing time – Demin spends on average more than 23 minutes on the floor – this is an excellent indicator for a beginner.

Egor Demin (right) / Photo: © Sarah Stier / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In the first half of the match against Toronto, Egor showed his full attacking potential. The Russian started with a power pass under the ring, which he finished with a spectacular hit. A little later he made his mark with a technical execution of a mid-range throw. Before the big break, Demin put the ball on target with a resisted three-pointer. The game against one of the best teams in the East turned out surprisingly well for Brooklyn, and the Russian basketball player played a great role in this. As soon as he sat down on the bench, his opponent immediately caught up in the score.

At the end of the third quarter, the hosts managed to lose their 15-point advantage; it was during this period that Demin was absent from the court. Fernandez urgently brought Yegor back into the game, and he became the main catalyst for the team’s comeback. At the beginning of the final quarter, the Russian scored two important three-pointers in Toronto’s basket. Four minutes before the final siren, Demin scored another long-range hit, bringing Brooklyn’s lead to 14 points. After this, the question of the winner was dropped.

Demin has never played so usefully

In addition to 17 points, Demin had five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the last game. In terms of the average number of interceptions per match (0.92), Egor is the team leader, which indicates his ability to read the game. In the match with Toronto, he updated two personal records at once: time spent on the court in victorious matches (30 minutes 24 seconds) and utility indicator (+24). At the same time, his competitor in the point guard position – another newcomer Nolan Traore – produced much weaker numbers (-7).

Demin’s progress in recent matches is as obvious as the growth of Brooklyn as a whole. In December, Fernandez’s team showed the best defensive performance, conceding the fewest goals in the league (102.3 on average). Egor himself has greatly improved in this aspect: if earlier opponents often preferred to attack through a newcomer, now they understand that this is fraught with loss or the most difficult shot.

Egor Demin / Photo: © Pamela Smith / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

“We are gradually establishing connections in the team, we understand each other better on the floor. Of course, this is not the kind of mutual understanding when I could pass a pass with my eyes closed, but many connections worked and it began to bring results,” Sports.ru quotes Demin as saying.

After another successful match, the Russian returned to the top 10 of the season’s rookie rankings. With each game, Egor looks more and more confident on the floor, which allows him to be optimistic about his future in the NBA. On Wednesday night Moscow time, Brooklyn faces a difficult away game against Philadelphia. For Demin, this opponent is special – it was in the game with him that he set a personal scoring record (23). Perhaps the young Russian basketball player will be able to update another personal achievement in the upcoming game.