Brooklyn Nets rookie Egor Demin missed most of training camp with a plantar fascia tear. However, after returning for Friday's preseason finale in Toronto, the No. 8 pick is available for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Charlotte Hornets.
Demin played 19 minutes vs. the Raptors, posting 14 points, five rebounds and one assist on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from three and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. While his return to the court is a welcome sign for Nets fans, Jordi Fernandez tempered expectations about the rookie's workload as he returns from his foot ailment.
“I’m not sure about how many minutes [he will play]… Like players that come from not working at the same level as the rest [due to an injury], his total volume usually is not the same as the rest. I cannot give you an exact number, but we have to be cautious. We’re gonna give him the proper build-up. That’s very important for us,” Fernandez said.
Demin's plantar fascia tear cropped up some time after his three Summer League appearances in late July.
Nets closely monitoring Egor Demin's foot injury as regular season gets underway
The Russian floor general said at media day that the injury “was not a big deal.” However, following his NBA debut in Toronto, he admitted it was something he and the Nets' performance team will need to monitor.
“It’s going to take some time probably to really get rid of everything,” Demin told the New York Post's Brian Lewis.. “But as long as it’s not [dangerous], as long as it’s safe for me to play, I’m good to go.”
It remains to be seen whether Demin will start Wednesday's regular-season opener. Fellow rookies Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore competed for Brooklyn's starting point guard reps during his absence. Saraf significantly outplayed Traore and is the favorite to split reps with Demin to start the season.
