The Brooklyn Nets didn’t get much out of Egor Demin around the rim last season. The rookie from BYU shot 43 percent on two-point attempts. That number tells you almost everything about why his offseason was built around a weight room and a nutrition plan.
Demin says he added 13 to 15 pounds since the season ended. The difference is visible. He was the best player on the floor during two California Classic games, averaging 23 points on 55 percent shooting. The catch? He shot 4-for-15 from three. But he went 11-for-12 on two-point attempts. That’s not a typo.
“The biggest difference is his ability to get into the paint and into two-point range,” Nets Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley said. “Before, we were trying not for him to make them, but just to get him to attempt twos. And now he’s getting into the paint and finishing.”
Last summer, Demin attempted exactly one two-point field goal across three Summer League games. He got to the free throw line once. In his first two games this month, he lived in the paint and drew contact regularly. That’s a real shift for a guy whose game last year was mostly catch-and-shoot threes.
Why the weight matters more than the numbers
Demin isn’t an explosive athlete. He’s not going to blow by defenders with a quick first step. So his path to becoming a threat in the halfcourt offense runs through physicality. He has to absorb contact, stay balanced and finish through bigger players. That requires strength he didn’t have as a rookie.
“I think that being on-balance and touching the paint and playing off two feet, you need that strength,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Egor’s done an unbelievable job just working in the weight room. Right now, you see him move around, and he looks more like a grownup.”
Demin’s workouts this summer have been specifically designed to help him use the new weight. He’s been drilling straight-line drives, playing through contact and working on finishing off two feet instead of floating away from defenders. The early returns are promising.
“The lifting room was probably the biggest priority,” Demin said. “Gaining some weight, making sure I’m good with my nutrition and all of it. Doing as much as I can on the court also, being dialed in with that.”
Brooklyn needs this version of Demin to be real. The Nets spent two years tanking and ended up with Demin and guard Mikel Brown Jr. as their prize. They don’t control their 2027 first-round pick, so the path back to respectability runs through internal development. Demin’s growth as a driver and interior scorer would change how defenses have to guard him.
He shot 39.9 percent from three on 6.2 attempts per game as a rookie. That part of his game already translates. If he can keep defenses honest by getting to the rim and either scoring or drawing fouls, he turns into a much more complete offensive player.
“I don’t want to say there’s pressure with being a leader, but kind of embracing the role of a guy who’s spent a year in the NBA already,” Demin said. “I want to take that role on myself. I want to be here and lead the team mentally, both on the bench and on the court.”
Demin will get more Summer League run in Las Vegas. That’s where the real test comes. But for a Nets team looking for signs of a sophomore leap, the early evidence is louder than anything he showed last year.
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