The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Sacramento Kings 79-76 in their first Summer League game.
However, the team saw incredible signs from their top draft pick from just a season ago, as Egor Dëmin provided 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds.
Dëmin wasted no time showing the world exactly how he wants to produce on an NBA court this upcoming season.
“Embracing the role of a guy who’s spent a year in the NBA already,” Dëmin said. “I want to take that role of myself, coming here and lead the team, mentally on the bench and on the court as well.”
Dëmin has noticeably beefed up a bit, packing on around 13 to 15 pounds from last season.
“That was one of the main focus of on-court work we’ve done this summer, is to use what I learned in the lifting room, make sure I use it and get these habits of being more aggressive looking for the gaps and going to the paint, trying to get on the rim more,” Dëmin said. “That was the main focus, to get used to the contact and get into the paint.”
After failing to touch the paint with much frequency last season, it’s incredibly encouraging to see Dëmin get downhill with force and get higher-quality shots at the rim.
He’s showcased an incredible floater, burst of speed, and ability to post up smaller guards, which will serve him well throughout his career.
Of course, all of Dëmin’s biggest supporters will still want to see him light it up from downtown at an incredible rate, but his knack for getting downhill will open up his game in ways we’ve never seen before.
Defenses will be forced to collapse on him on the attack and close off his driving lanes, which can help him tap into another one of his strengths, which is his playmaking skills.
The Nets will probably look to surround him with as many 3-point shooters and cutters as possible for those scenarios, though Mikel Brown Jr. will also be tasked with putting pressure on the rim, which will create more 3-point shooting opportunities for his new backcourt mate.
Dëmin still needs to prove that he can do this against bigger and stiffer competition during meaningful NBA games, but at the very least, it’s incredibly encouraging to see him getting meaningful reps as a downhill force in lower-pressure situations.
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