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On Wednesday evening, the Brooklyn Nets used their first of five first round draft selections on point forward Egor Demin as the team looks to add its backcourt rotation. The Nets went on to draft multiple other backcourt players in the first round on Wednesday, drawing the ire of some fans and the applause of others.
Demin is from Russia, which for some Nets fans signaled a call back to former team owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who also has Russian heritage.
“Did Mikhail Prokhorov buy back the Nets?” wondered one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
“The Prokhorov Effect,” added another.
The Nets now of course are owned by Joe Tsai, who acquired the team in 2017.
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Brooklyn's draft strategy on Thursday signaled a clear vision from the team's front office to draft versatile players who are capable of doing multiple things out on the floor.
At 6'9″, Demin can play both the point guard or wing position and can also theoretically guard several positions on the defensive end of the floor. While shooting is a concern at this point for the 19 year-old, there is still plenty of time for that part of his game to get up to speed.
Helping matters is the fact that the Nets have proven themselves to be one of the better player development teams in the NBA, helping develop players like Cam Thomas, Tyrese Martin, and Drew Timme into solid contributors down the stretch of last season.
The Nets don't figure to be competing for contention in the Eastern Conference anytime soon, although that could change in an instant should Giannis Antetokounmpo ever become available from the Milwaukee Bucks. Tsai has shown no problem going big game hunting in free agency and via trades over the past several years.
For now, however, the Nets will look to develop the young core of players they brought in on Wednesday.
