Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin is off to a slow start during his rookie campaign in the NBA. He is averaging 7.2 points, shooting 37.1% from the field on 6.4 attempts per game over his first 11 contests.
Egor Demin’s Offensive Role in Brooklyn
Egor Demin’s early struggles are due to his current offensive role on the Brooklyn Nets. Head coach Jordi Fernandez is currently using him as a floor space over the first 11 games. Demin is spending 33.8% of his offensive possessions in a spot-up role, averaging 2.7 per game.
According to NBA University on Twitter/X, a “spot-up” possession is defined by the NBA as any action that begins with a stationary catch. Egor’s spot-up opportunities have mostly been from behind the arc.
On November 14, 2025, he began an offensive possession, standing between the left elbow and the three-point line, with eleven minutes left in the first quarter against Orlando. Demin took a few steps back to position himself behind the arc on the left wing. Once this happened, he spent the rest of the possession jogging from the left wing to the top of the key.
Demin’s Three Point Shooting
Egor Demin’s off-the-ball role has been the driving force behind his taking 75.7% of his shots from behind the arc, averaging 4.8 per game. Over the first 11 games, he is shooting 35.8 percent, 0.1 percentage points below the average. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that he will continue to make three-pointers at that rate, given his shooting track record.
During his lone season at BYU, Egor Demin shot 27.3% on 4.7 attempts per game. According to the No Ceilings substack, he was a below-average shooter from behind the arc in multiple different scenarios.
“Demin does rank in the 53rd percentile on those handoffs on 17 credited possessions. However, he has only converted on just 1-of-7 threes within that play type. Maybe he is better off the catch?”
He is better, but he is only 27.8% from deep off the catch on 72 credited attempts. On unguarded threes, he is just 6-for-25—24%.
Due to his shooting track record, Brooklyn is making a mistake by utilizing him in the spot-up role. If Brooklyn wants him to reach his maximum potential, they need to use him as a primary pick-and-roll ball handler. According to Synergy, he ranked above the 60th percentile in pick-and-roll passing and scoring.
“While operating in the pick and roll, Demin ranks in the 65th percentile as a scorer. When including passes, his percentile skyrockets to the 81st percentile—which grades out as very good”.
Brooklyn’s System Limits His Growth
Unfortunately, head coach Jordi Fernandez does not incorporate a significant amount of pick-and-roll within his offensive system. Last season, Brooklyn ran a pick-and-roll on 14% of their offensive possessions, averaging 15.2 per game. Brooklyn’s pick-and-roll frequency in the previous season was the 27th-highest in the league.
Over the first 11 games of the season, Brooklyn has slightly reduced its pick-and-roll frequency. They are running the play type on 12.4% of their offensive possessions, averaging 14.1 per game.
Egor Demin is second on the team in pick-and-roll opportunities, averaging 2.1 per game. His pick-and-roll opportunities are unlikely to increase significantly due to Brooklyn’s offensive system. Upon arriving in Brooklyn, Jordi Fernandez installed a ball movement offense. They are averaging 299.8 passes per game, the 8th highest in the league.
Consequently, he will always spend a significant amount of time off the ball during his offensive possession. Given his strengths and weaknesses, combined with the team’s offense, he is already a draft bust through no fault of his own.
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