Comparing Egor Dëmin to Nets' Rising Stars of the Past

Since the NBA instituted the Rising Stars game as a part of All-Star weekend in 1994, the Nets have had 20 players selected to the event. From multi-time All-Stars to players who were out of the league in three seasons, the Nets have seen a variety of talent participate in the game.

This season marked the first time the franchise had a player selected to the Rising Stars challenge since 2019, with No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Egor Dëmin, earning the honor. He was 1-of-10 rookies selected for the game, and eight top-10 draft picks were chosen.

Dëmin will constantly be compared to his fellow draft classmates, but how does he stack up against former Nets Rising Stars?

The last two players for Brooklyn who were selected to the event were Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs at the 2019 All-Star weekend. Allen is a one-time All-Star, and Kurucs only lasted three seasons in the NBA.

Allen made the game in his sophomore season, where he averaged 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game on 59% shooting from the field. Kurucs earned an appearance in his rookie season, where he averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 45% shooting from the field.

It's hard to compare Dëmin and Allen because of how different their positions are, but Kurucs was similar as a raw European rookie. It's safe to say Dëmin will last longer because of his ability to shoot the three and his upside as a defender. The 19-year-old is averaging 10.2 points, 3.4 assists and three rebounds per game, shooting 39.6% from deep.

The next Brooklyn Net to make the Rising Stars game was Bojan Bogdanovic at the 2015 and 2016 All-Star weekend. He came into the league as a 25-year-old and had a productive decade, retiring in 2025.

Bogdanovic averaged 10.1 points and three rebounds per game across his first two seasons in the NBA, shooting 44.2% from the field. He later became a 20-point-per-game scorer in his 30s.

Dëmin shares similarities with Bogdanovic in their European roots and three-point shooting abilities, although the latter is a much more versatile scorer than Dëmin may ever be. Where Dëmin has more upside than Bogdanovic is in his playmaking and defensive capabilities. He's still growing into his lengthy 6-foot-8 frame and has great court vision as the future primary ball handler.

The last New Jersey Net to be named a Rising Star was MarShon Brooks in 2012, and he had a similar path as Kurucs, where his best season was his rookie year and he regressed from there. He's similar to Dëmin as a defender in their rookie seasons and was better as an overall scorer, but Dëmin is currently better in every other category and has far more upside.

The history of Nets in the Rising Stars game isn't as rich as one would hope, but many of them weren't as high a draft pick as Dëmin. Brooklyn is buying into the rookie's upside, and his development so far this season is a good indication that he can break the mold of past Net honorees.