Egor Demin - BYU

[Klomp]

Amazing how long ago this kind of narrative about him feels.

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Honestly, he's a lot like Ant in that he took a road less traveled to the NBA by going to BYU. In some ways, I think it did him a disservice because he largely had to carry that team. There was a lot on his shoulders. Early in the NBA, his role will be pared down to what he does great - facilitate.

[The-Power]

Early in the NBA, his role will be pared down to what he does great - facilitate.

The problem is that such a role doesn't really exist in the NBA. To justify having the ball in your hands, you need to be able to deal with ball pressure, stress defenses and create advantages. And if you don't have the ball in your hands because you can't do those things, you need to react to how defenses play you – whether that is shooting the ball, attacking off the dribble, moving off the ball and/or making the right passes. There really is no role in which a player is asked to focus on facilitating and doing little else. NBA defenses are way too sophisticated and strong for that.

[clyde21]

Demin is still top 5 for me regardless of all the issues that Power highlighted (correctly), i'm a sucker for passing chops at that size, and i'd really have no problem placing the bet starting at #4

the NBA draft is a game of opportunity cost...yes, I like guys like Tre and Fears, and they are more likely to reach their high end outcomes than Demin, but if I lose on the high end outcome of Demin because I decided to take a shooting guard instead or something that's a much tougher pill to swallow than vice versa.

i understand if people see it differently and would rather go for players more likely to reach their high end outcomes, just different philosophies.

[BigGargamel]

Demin is still top 5 for me regardless of all the issues that Power highlighted (correctly), i'm a sucker for passing chops at that size, and i'd really have no problem placing the bet starting at #4

Everybody loves this archetype and wants to see another Penny Hardaway out there flinging passes all over the place. The problem is, that guy usually never pans out, and to run an NBA offense these days you really need to be able to score and shoot on your own. It's a big reason MCW and Ben Simmons flamed out. And both of those guys had a more well rounded game than Demin.

I don't see anything here. Hope I'm proven wrong, because it would be fun to see a guy like him succeed, but if he becomes anything I'll be very surprised. I wouldn't bother picking him in the lottery, but if I'm a team like the Jazz or Nets with a bunch of picks, sure, why not.

[ReggiesKnicks]

Demin is still top 5 for me regardless of all the issues that Power highlighted (correctly), i'm a sucker for passing chops at that size, and i'd really have no problem placing the bet starting at #4

Everybody loves this archetype and wants to see another Penny Hardaway out there flinging passes all over the place. The problem is, that guy usually never pans out, and to run an NBA offense these days you really need to be able to score and shoot on your own. It's a big reason MCW and Ben Simmons flamed out. And both of those guys had a more well rounded game than Demin.

I don't see anything here. Hope I'm proven wrong, because it would be fun to see a guy like him succeed, but if he becomes anything I'll be very surprised. I wouldn't bother picking him in the lottery, but if I'm a team like the Jazz or Nets with a bunch of picks, sure, why not.

Ben Simmons flamed out because of injuries and a weak mental, not because of his skill-set.

The actual argument you should be making is this archetype typically requires an elite athletic profile, a la Ben Simmons and Amen Thompson. Being able to consistently break-down a defense while providing elite defensive impact is crucial for non-shooters in the NBA, which is why most Non-shooters in the NBA are centers.

[clyde21]

Demin is still top 5 for me regardless of all the issues that Power highlighted (correctly), i'm a sucker for passing chops at that size, and i'd really have no problem placing the bet starting at #4

Everybody loves this archetype and wants to see another Penny Hardaway out there flinging passes all over the place. The problem is, that guy usually never pans out, and to run an NBA offense these days you really need to be able to score and shoot on your own. It's a big reason MCW and Ben Simmons flamed out. And both of those guys had a more well rounded game than Demin.

I don't see anything here. Hope I'm proven wrong, because it would be fun to see a guy like him succeed, but if he becomes anything I'll be very surprised. I wouldn't bother picking him in the lottery, but if I'm a team like the Jazz or Nets with a bunch of picks, sure, why not.

that's fine if you are unwilling to make that bet, to me at 4 I don't see a better bet to make tbh

yes, it'll come down whether he can generate offense on his own and keep defenses honest. if he doesn't of course he won't pan out, but I don't think I'm missing out on much at 4 other than a couple of good combo guards, and if he does hit it's franchise-changing.

[Klomp]

Offensively he has a lot of Ricky Rubio in his game. Good and bad.

Another easy comp might be Vit Krejci