Exclusive | Egor Demins BYU coach tells The Post why Nets rookie has second-most upside from draft class
At one point, when he was talking to a current NBA coach about Egor Dëmin, Kevin Young started listing the qualities of his BYU star. Dëmin, who spent the 2024-25 college season playing for Young’s program before the Nets drafted him No.8 overall, clocked in at 6-foot-9.
He had long arms.He could shoot the ball — even if his percentages with the Cougars weren’t the best in games.
He was a strong passer, too.And during their conversation, the NBA coach asked Young, “Why is this kid not even higher than people think?”Given his history in the NBA — including when he worked with superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix — before taking over BYU two years ago, Young will always look at players through an NBA lens.And when he recruited and coached Dëmin, Young saw plenty of potential for how his skill set could mesh into the modern game. It took time.
The talent didn’t necessarily translate right away on a rebuilding Nets roster.But recently, Dëmin has started to flourish as a regular starter for head coach Jordi Fernández, averaging 10.4 points and 3.4 assists per game, and his recent selection for the NBA Rising Stars this week only served as the latest example of that.“I’m biased, obviously, but I wasn’t convinced that he didn’t have the second-most upside in that draft class,” Young told The Post of Dëmin, who will miss Thursday’s game against the Nuggets due to left plantar fascia injury management.
“I mean, just look at — the NBA is made of guys that are that size that have a skill set.It’s not made up of a bunch of 6-2, 6-4 guards.
… His upside is through the roof.”Dëmin shot just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc on 1.3 attempts per game for the Cougars last season, but those numbers have ballooned to 39.7 and 2.5 in his first season with the Nets.He tied an NBA rookie record Tuesday with a 33rd consecutive game with a made 3-pointer, and though he won’t have a chance to set the record until at least F...