One of the Brooklyn Nets’ five first-round draft picks had to be a hit, and Egor Dëmin is starting to turn heads.
The Brigham Young product came into the NBA as raw as a top 10 pick could be, but the progress is starting to show. Dëmin is posting averages of 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in nearly 25 minutes per game.
Yahoo! Sports NBA contributor Steve Jones released an update to his rookie rankings for the NBA season and the Nets point-forward, much like his draft pick, is ranked eighth on Jones’ list behind Jeremiah Fears, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen.
MORE: Spurs’ Dylan Harper highlighted in latest rookie power rankings
Jones’ analysis of Dëmin
“Dёmin has the second-most made 3-pointers (72) by a rookie this season, and the most through 30 games in Nets franchise history,” Jones wrote. “He is shooting 41.1% from 3 over his past 15 games and has made three or more 3s in five of his last seven games. That has added more confidence to his offensive attack. Teams will still look to pressure him and be physical, but there is not a ton of hesitation to let it fly when given space.
“His assist volume hasn’t been high, but the placement and timing of his passing ability has popped on film. The work to improve as a weakside defender within Brooklyn’s context has also stood out to me.”
Dëmin’s progression may be a longer process than his lottery counterparts, but the Nets have the foundation of a quality guard for their future.
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