Egor Demin - BYU

[SeattleJazzFan]

Did this guy ever have any good games against tough competition? To me it looks like he doesn't have the handles to play pg and doesn't have the shooting to play the wing. I wouldn't take him anywhere in the lottery.

like, besides the two he just had in the ncaa tournament?

what an odd time to ask that question.

Not sure if unranked VCU qualifies as tough competition. Also not sure if 3-10 shooting against Wisconsin counts either although 8 rebounds and assists are nice.

VCU was a quad 1 team.

and yeah, regardless of how you slice it, 11, 8 and 8 with 1 turnover in a win against a 3 seed is a very good game.

[The Beam King]

Michael Carter-Williams

[BlazersBroncos]

Michael Carter-Williams

Not the worst comparison but 6'5 vs 6'9 (And Demin looks legit 6'9 IMO) makes a decent difference. I would also argue Demin is more advanced as a passer, especially in the PNR and swinging the ball across the floor.

But Egor is a development pick with a high bust potential. He needs to grow in a TON of ways to be a competent rotation player.

[SeattleJazzFan]

Demin is a much better passer than MCW ever was, but he has some real issues and I agree he absolutely has high bust potential.

you're drafting him because he's tall and is an elite passer (he's also a top notch human for whatever that's worth). but if he can't shoot and can't handle i'm not sure his height and passing matter much.

[azcatz11]

So can someone sell me on Demin? I went back and watched youtube highlights even though I watched a lot of BYU games since they're fun to watch.

I'm not convinced he's a great play maker. BYU didn't really have a dribble drive offense. Everything was on the perimeter so he's hitting dudes across the top of the key. He's not a great penetrator. He's a decent finisher. He's a horrible shooter.

Perhaps most alarming is he makes the bulk of his shots in garbage time or when the team is losing. He is the most puzzling potential top 10 pick I have ever seen

[BigGargamel]

I'm not a fan of this guy at all. I struggle to come up with anything he does that can actually help a team win games. But it looks like scouts are trying to convince themselves to draft him in the 9-12 range. I get it, 6'9 "playmakers" are always an exciting archetype, even though it never really pans out.

[HadAnEffectHere]

So can someone sell me on Demin? I went back and watched youtube highlights even though I watched a lot of BYU games since they're fun to watch.

I'm not convinced he's a great play maker. BYU didn't really have a dribble drive offense. Everything was on the perimeter so he's hitting dudes across the top of the key. He's not a great penetrator. He's a decent finisher. He's a horrible shooter.

Perhaps most alarming is he makes the bulk of his shots in garbage time or when the team is losing. He is the most puzzling potential top 10 pick I have ever seen

Not really missing anything.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

I don't quite get it either, lots of people seem to be mocking him to Portland and I know Schmitz was apparently a fan of his so maybe there is some backroom chatter or something.

But he kind of reminds me of Ben Simmons without the defense, and I don't mean early days Ben Simmons but the version with back issues and afraid of scoring. I don't know how you are a lead ball handler without either a good first step and ability to attack the rim or the ability to pull up on a dime and shoot from anywhere. Without one of those threats teams will just be happy to let you dribble the air out of the ball, cover the passing lanes and dare you to score. And since I don't think that is a winning strategy for a guy like Demin I don't think teams will put the ball in his hand very much and then at that point how much value does he really provide, if he isn't a lead ball handler what does he bring as a secondary?

I have his best role kind of pegged as a 6th man type player unless he really takes a quantum leap with his shooting. If he was a good shooter I could see a kind of Bogdan Bogdanovic type player but that is his ceiling IMHO.

[Dat2U]

I see no chance that he's a PG in the NBA. He's going to be a connective wing. The jumpshot is the key and it needs a good amount of work. I have him early 2nd but a late 1st on him isn't crazy. Mid-1st or lottery for Demin is absolutely insane to me.

[BigGargamel]

Needs to study a young, non fat, Boris Diaw and model his game after that.

[Chi town]

Only way I see Demin making it is if he becomes a sharpshooter on high volume with movement.

His 3% sucked because he took so many tough 3s off the dribble. His shot looks really good with setup and mechanics. I believe he will become a + shooter but even then he’s just Bogey with passing. He would need to become an elite shooter to become a winning player.

I wouldn’t touch him. Far too passive.

[moss_is_1]

Only way I see Demin making it is if he becomes a sharpshooter on high volume with movement.

His 3% sucked because he took so many tough 3s off the dribble. His shot looks really good with setup and mechanics. I believe he will become a + shooter but even then he’s just Bogey with passing. He would need to become an elite shooter to become a winning player.

I wouldn’t touch him. Far too passive.

My thoughts are similar here. I think hes probably the best passer in this draft, but hes a pretty mediocre athlete and shooter right now so teams are gonna sag off him and negate some of the passing lanes. He doesn't seem very good defensively either, but he's still really young so that might change.

I can see the appeal because of the great size and passing ability, but he is a project. Some cross of Giddey and Slomo is still a good player. If he figures out the jumper then he can be very valuable.

[FarBeyondDriven]

I view him like I did Cody Williams. I don't care that there's inherent bust risk. I can't fault teams for taking chances on elite traits and upside especially if they have multiple picks or can afford to be very patient with them. Like with Cody he can go anywhere from #5 to #16 but I really can't see him falling past that. If he makes it past the Nets I think teams will try to trade up with OKC at 15 to nab him before all the teams with multiple picks get to their 2nd picks.

[Chi town]

With Saraf mediating 6’6 barefoot I don’t know how or why you would take Demin over Saraf.

I’d take Saraf all day.

[Klomp]

I see him in a connective role a la Shaun Livingston, where he can use his size and length. He's bigger (taller/longer) than PGs and most SGs, and lines up comparably against most SFs....that gives him a chance.

[moss_is_1]

I see him in a connective role a la Shaun Livingston, where he can use his size and length. He's bigger (taller/longer) than PGs and most SGs, and lines up comparably against most SFs....that gives him a chance.

Yeah I think if he's used a secondary creator it would be best. He doesn't have a great handle and isn't a big athlete, while being a below average shooter. He also struggles with pressure and physical defense. He'll need to take advantage of someone else breaking down the defense and attack closeouts maybe run a few picks and rolls. Diaw, Kyle Anderson type initiator and not a true pg.