Yegor Demin delivers some clutch moments during a near comeback against the Cavs

The Brooklyn Nets failed to pull off a miraculous comeback during Friday’s 131-124 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center. After trailing by 25 points, Jordi Fernandez’s side clawed to within one in the closing minutes before failing to get over the hump. While veterans Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. fueled much of the run, Egor Demin’s impact during his first career minutes will be a major story for Nets fans.

After going scoreless through three quarters, the rookie scored nine points in the fourth while knocking down three of four three-point attempts. He added six rebounds and four assists tonight.

“It’s an amazing experience. To have the opportunity to play those minutes against a team like Cleveland,” Demin said after the game. “They played super hard. We tried to match their physicality, and we did a good job at the end of the game of coming back from everything we were down and giving ourselves a chance to win. I think that’s really important for me… It’s about learning how to fight back. I think that’s something we see in the NBA all the time, and it’s a little different than college.

“It was important for me to really understand how to approach these situations because this is something new for me at this level. I’ve been in a lot of situations before, but again, it’s just different (in the NBA).”

Nets pick Demin with their first lottery pick since 2010 it has been much maligned. However, the Russian floor general silenced some of the criticism during his first NBA appearances.

Yegor Demin makes the lead in clutch moments during the Nets’ loss to the Cavs

Demin relayed his shooting progress of the Summer League, converting seven of 11 three-point attempts through two games. Coach Jordi Fernandez praised the rookie’s composure late in Friday’s game against one of the NBA’s best teams.

“He’s ready to do what he needs to do,” Fernandez said. “As you can see, four assists, six rebounds, nine points and five 3-pointers made. But I don’t care how much he makes, I care about the aggressiveness. He shoots it, and I think it goes every time. . . . It’s probably a negative (four) turnovers, and that’s going to happen at times. But, with these guys, they see a normal game. I’m really proud of him. . . . Now the question is how can he take that next step? How does he grow. He played 24 minutes, which I think is great, but not enough. Like, can you do it again? Can you do it better? And that’s going to be our mentality with all of our young guys.”

Demin made plays on and off the ball during Brooklyn’s comeback. He escaped the Nets after a stall, driving and shooting for Ziaire Williams’ 3-pointer to cut Cleveland’s lead to five with 5:18 remaining.

Egor Demin turns the baseline and finds Ziaire Williams for a swinging three in the late stages of the shot. pic.tvitter.com/RpRvkerebM

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) October 25, 2025

19 year old drained the catch-and-shoot three to cut the deficit to one with 3:48 remaining, prompting an explosion from the Barclays Center crowd.

“It was great. I think it kind of took me back to my time at BIU, with the crowd we had there with the student section,” Demin said of the crowd’s reaction. “It was really cool, honestly. It felt great looking out into the stands and seeing people actually get up and cheer for us. It was an amazing moment for me.”

Egor Demin at this moment:

“It kind of took me back to when I was at BIU with the crowd that we had there with the student section. It was really cool, honestly. It felt great looking out into the stands and seeing people actually get up and cheer for us. It was an amazing moment for me.” https://t.co/TGKkkIM6sk pic.twitter.com/fmPi0asiu8

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) October 25, 2025

While his recording impressed, Demin has obvious limitations as an offensive player. He has yet to attempt a two-through-two game, often struggling to maintain his arm or get downhill. Only four of his 27 field goal attempts in Summer League were two-pointers.

“It’s definitely something I have to improve in my game with getting to this new level, new physicality,” Demin said. “I think this is where my game can be at a different level, when I get to the paint more… We have a lot of shooters, and for me, getting to the paint is an opportunity to make their life easier and create something good for them. So that’s something that I’m really focused on. And I really plan to work on it even more and try to adapt to be able to do that more.”

He asked Egor Demin about his lack of drive and failure to try two through two games:

“It’s definitely something that I have to improve in my game by getting to this new level, this new physicality. I think this is where my playing can be at another level, when I get to… pic.twitter.com/GgkboPHk1C

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) October 25, 2025

Demin said part of that adjustment will be fine-tuning his skills, but much of it will come from adjusting his mindset.

“I think mentality is a big part of it, how mentally aggressive I am,” he said. “For now, I’d like to be more aggressive in putting pressure on the rim. And I think that’s what’s missing in my game right now these last two games. That’s where it’s going to open up a lot more opportunities for all of us — me personally and my teammates. I think that’s something that I have to put together physically, technically and mentally.”