Nets Rookie Egor Demin Reacts to Criticism from NBA Executives

When Egor Demin was selected with the No.

8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, it was met with criticism from the general public.

The BYU product was widely regarded as a first-round pick, but many believed it was a reach for him to be taken that high.

Some of that criticism came from NBA executives.

According to an article from Jeremy Woo of ESPN , seven of 20 anonymous executives polled believed the 19-year-old was the biggest reach of the draft.

A lot of concern has been due to Demin's lack of scoring aggression and three-point scoring, although he shot 43.5% from deep in NBA Summer League.

The 6-foot-9 facilitator responded to the critics in a recent interview with Nikita Biryukov of Championat .

He isn't worried about comments from other people and is focused on working toward becoming a better basketball player.

There were a lot of opinions and conversations around this, and it will always be like this, as far as I understand," Demin said.

"I try to simply isolate myself from any conversations and discussions of the public, I concentrate on my work and development together with people who help me to be the best version of myself." The rookie also talked about his goals for the 2025-26 season.

The Nets are expected to focus much of the year on developing Demin, as well as their other first-round picks.

Brooklyn took five this year, a league record.

"My main goals are adaptation and maximum concentration on development in everything," Demin said.

"I focus on putting in as much effort as possible every time I step on the court and off it.

It is also necessary to give my best and be a sponge, absorbing all the information available to me." Demin averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game at BYU last season.

He started all 33 games for the Cougars, shooting 41.2% from the field and 27.3% from three.

While there are concerns about his development, he had an efficient Summer League and will have plenty of time to develop in Brooklyn.

The Nets are in no rush to contend, with a plethora of draft picks and cap space for the next few years.

For now, Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf highlight the new era in Brooklyn.

Under head coach Jordi Fernandez, someone who is respected for his player development and relationship skills, along with his basketball knowledge, the Nets have a bright future ahead..

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