For the Brooklyn Nets, the youngest team by average age in the NBA at 23.4, progress is not primarily being measured by wins and losses. Growth, rather, will be determined by the development of players such as rookies Egor Dëmin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, Nolan Traoré, and Danny Wolf. The Nets were 2-12 after losing 113-99 on Tuesday night at home at the Barclays Center to the Boston Celtics.
Of those five first-year ballers, no one has shown more promise than Demin, who was the team’s first selection in this year’s draft with the eighth overall pick. The Russian-born Dëmin, who played one season at BYU, has started six of the 13 games he’s appeared in. The 19-year-old was averaging 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists going into tomorrow’s road match-up with the Celtics. At 6-6, Dëmin has displayed noteworthy court vision and ball handling, capable of being both a scorer and facilitator. But like most young players, there are also parts of his game that evidently require some necessary maturation.
“He needs to grow on the defensive end, be more proactive instead of reactive,” Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernández said about Dëmin. “I think right there is where he can catch some of the drives and communicate better and learn the schemes. He’s a smart kid. We’re going to keep challenging him to do those things. And he will. But I’m very happy where he’s at right now and what he’s shown.”
Forward Michael Porter Jr., who Brooklyn acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets in July, has been the team’s most consistent player on the offensive end of the court. Porter leads the Nets in scoring at 24.1 and scored a season high 34 points, coming close to a triple-double, with nine rebounds and seven assists in a 129-106 win over the Wizards in Washington on Sunday.
After the Celtics, the Nets will face the Raptors in Toronto on Sunday and return to Brooklyn on Monday to host the Knicks.