Egor Demin’s encouraging development has Jordi Fernandez, Brooklyn to see more

Egor Demin he begins to understand. After a slow start to the season, The Brooklyn Nets guard was quietly one of them the NBA’s most productive rookies over the past month.

After coming off the bench while recovering from a plantar fascia tear to start the year, Demin started Brooklyn’s final 12 games. Pick number 8 is on average 10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and just 1.8 turnovers on 39/36/90 shooting since the switch. He and Derrick Quinn are the only NBA rookies to average over 10 points, three rebounds and four assists during that span.

“I think he’s more comfortable,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Demin’s recent play. “I think he’s always played the way he should, and that’s been great. I remember from (his first) preseason game in Toronto. He played and immediately showed why we were so high on him and how he handled himself. It’s not just about shooting, it’s about seeing the floor and his ability to rebound and rebound and all that stuff how much better we are than one day. We saw from one day to 20.” we still want to see more and better.”

Demin has shown progress around the world after his move to Brooklyn’s starting lineup.

Yegor Demin shows promise after moving into the Nets’ starting lineup

The BIU product has remained confident as a three-point shooter, shooting 36.1 percent over his last 12 games. He is attempting 8.5 3-pointers per 36 minutes during that span, second-most among 13 rookies to play over 250 minutes, behind only Kon Kneuppel (8.6).

Demin also stepped up his aggressiveness as a driver after failing to attempt two points in the first five games. He has attempted 46 two-pointers in his last 12 appearances (3.8 per game) and made 20 (43.5 percent). While he’s still limited as a self-creator off the dribble, he’s been able to use his shooting ability to get downhill using fake shots.

Among the biggest surprises about Demin’s start is his ability to take care of the ball. After averaging 6.3 turnovers per 100 possessions last season at BIU, the 19-year-old is averaging 3.7 per 100 possessions in the NBA. He is averaging 3.6 assists and 1.7 turnovers per game for the season.

Demin’s 2.06 assist-to-turnover ratio is third among 12 rookies who play over 20 minutes per game, behind only Dylan Harper (2.44) and VJ Edgecombe (2.37).

“I think he’s doing a great job. (A) two-to-one (rebound assist) is very good,” Fernandez said. “The next step is, can he get to the three-on-one? And I think he can because he’s one of the best three-pointers in the NBA. The numbers say that, but now he has to mix it up with when he touches the paint, when teams are down, when he creates two-on-ones, how he lobs. Right now, the next step is to find all three. cuts, rolls, two-on-ones, I’m going to continue to be tough on him because I have high expectations for him and I know he can do it.

Demin’s defense is ongoing. He had trouble staying in front of faster guards while guarding in isolation or getting close to the three-point line. However, the tight end has shown improvement of late, using his 6-foot-10 wingspan to bother opposing ball handlers. He has posted eight tackles (steals + blocks) in the last three games.

Nets pick Demin with their first lottery pick for 15 years he was punished in NBA circles. However, the rookie’s rapid improvement over the past month should prompt a collective sigh of relief from Nets fans as the team moves forward in its rebuild.