The Brooklyn Nets are entering the 2025-26 NBA season with an enviable core of young talent. After stockpiling five first-round picks and reshaping the roster in recent years, the franchise finally has a blend of potential stars and rotation-ready prospects. But among all the buzz surrounding the Nets’ draft haul, one name stands out as both their most intriguing and most unpredictable addition: Egor Demin, the 6-foot-9 guard out of BYU.

Demin, the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, was brought in to fill a critical void left by D’Angelo Russell’s departure in free agency. At just 18 years old, Demin is not only one of the youngest players in his class but also one of the most fascinating. He’s a creative, high-IQ playmaker with the size and vision to see over defenses, and his flair for delivering passes few would even attempt has already turned heads. But as Summer League revealed, the adjustment to NBA-level physicality will be steep.

In three appearances for Brooklyn, Demin’s stat lines were modest: ten points and two steals against the Lakers, a rebound-heavy outing with ten boards and four blocks against the Rockets, and a quieter showing against Milwaukee with only two points. The flashes were there, a skip pass to the corner, a perfectly timed alley-oop attempt, moments of defensive disruption, but consistency eluded him. Still, the Summer League experience may be more about lessons learned than results achieved. For a teenager tasked with eventually running an NBA offense, every possession is a stepping stone.

With that in mind, the question emerges: could Demin, despite his average summer performance, be the wild card rookie who shocks the world in 2025-26? The answer may lie not in what he already is, but in what he has the tools to become.

With Egor Demin: The Nets’ most creative playmaker since D’Angelo Russell

At BYU, Demin put together a freshman season that confirmed his upside as a top-10 pick. In 33 games, he averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while logging over 27 minutes per night. His percentages: 41.2% from the field, 27.3% from three, and 69.5% from the free-throw line, suggested that his jump shot was still a work in progress, but his playmaking and versatility carried significant weight. Demin isn’t an isolation scorer or a player who thrives breaking defenders down one-on-one. Instead, he operates as a connector: someone who uses his court vision and feel to keep an offense humming.

What makes Demin special is the aesthetic creativity of his passing. His size allows him to throw diagonal skip passes over smaller guards, threading the ball into shooting pockets that collapse defenses and force rotations. At times, he’s less of a direct playmaker and more of a hockey-assist generator, creating chain reactions that lead to open looks two or three passes later. The numbers may not always capture that, but the film does.

In many ways, Demin resembles the kind of secondary creator that championship teams often covet, someone who doesn’t need the ball to dominate but elevates everyone around him when it’s in his hands. For Brooklyn, which is filled with scorers and versatile wings from their recent draft hauls, a player like Demin is invaluable. His ability to initiate actions, especially in pick-and-roll or secondary actions, could make him the team’s most indispensable rookie.

Of course, the glaring challenge remains his physicality. As Nets Summer League head coach Steve Hetzel noted, Demin struggled with handling pressure from older, stronger guards. The talent is clear, but he must add strength in the weight room to withstand NBA defenders who will test him every possession. That’s not unusual for an 18-year-old, but it highlights the uphill battle he faces if he wants to contribute immediately.

Without Demin, the Nets' depth is real, but the rookie could be their X-Factor

Brooklyn’s roster, stacked with recent first-round picks, doesn’t lack talent. They have wings who can score, versatile defenders, and multiple options in the backcourt. Without Demin emerging, the Nets could still be competitive in the Eastern Conference. But what they would lack is a true orchestrator, someone capable of blending all those pieces into a coherent offense.

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This is where Demin’s potential breakout becomes crucial. At 6-foot-9, his ability to see over defenses adds a dimension the Nets don’t currently have in their guard rotation. Unlike smaller point guards, he can survey the floor without needing perfect angles, and his willingness to make creative reads makes him unpredictable. Even if his shot is inconsistent, the gravity of his passing forces defenses to stay engaged, opening opportunities for his teammates.

The Nets can afford patience with Demin, and that may be his greatest advantage. Unlike some lottery picks thrust into starring roles on struggling teams, Demin doesn’t have to carry Brooklyn right away. He can grow into his role, making mistakes and learning while surrounded by a safety net of scorers and defenders. When his moments come, whether through lineup experimentation or as a spark plug off the bench, he’ll have the freedom to lean on his strengths without being overexposed.

And if Demin catches on quicker than expected, the Nets’ ceiling rises dramatically. A rookie playmaker with his size and passing instincts could transform their offense into one of the most fluid in the East. In that scenario, Demin wouldn’t just be a complementary piece; he’d be a potential dark horse Rookie of the Year candidate.

It’s not far-fetched to imagine. Rookie of the Year isn’t always about gaudy scoring averages. Sometimes, it’s about the impact a player has in elevating a team beyond expectations. If Demin becomes the glue that makes Brooklyn’s young core function, his candidacy would be legitimate, even if his numbers don’t lead the rookie class.

A rookie who could change the Nets’ trajectory

Egor Demin’s first steps into the NBA spotlight have been measured. His Summer League performance was average, marked more by flashes of potential than by dominance. Yet that’s precisely what makes him so compelling. At 18, with a skill set that few players his age possess, Demin enters the 2025-26 season as a wild card, one who could either take time to develop or shock the NBA by emerging as a pivotal contributor right away.

The Brooklyn Nets don’t need him to be a star immediately, but if he accelerates his growth, he could become the most important rookie on their roster. His combination of size, vision, and creative passing is rare, and in a league increasingly reliant on versatility and spacing, his skill set fits perfectly. The only question is whether he can adapt quickly enough to handle the physicality and speed of NBA defenses.

If he does, Brooklyn might find that their point guard of the future is ready sooner than expected. And for the rest of the NBA, that could mean the Nets’ so-called wild card rookie isn’t just a complementary piece, but a breakout force capable of shocking the world.