Nets Coach Jordi Fernandez on Egor Demin: 'He Has High Expectations for Himself'

Egor Demin has stepped up significantly since Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez threatened to cut his minutes down following an ugly performance against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 12.

In his last six games, the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is averaging 16.2 points on 44% shooting, including 40% from 3-point range, three assists, and one steal per game.

Demin's 3-point stroke has looked incredibly smooth, but if you ask Fernandez, he'd like to see his 6-foot-8 floor general get inside a bit more.

“The lessons come every day, especially against a good defensive team,” Fernandez said. “The 3-point line looked good, but his decisiveness and ability to touch the paint to create assists could have been better. And now he’ll watch film, and he’s always very good with that.

“He has high expectations for himself and I’m gonna say the same, I want that 3-point shooting percentage and aggressiveness the same, but I want better setups. I want more paint touches. I want more assists. I want more physicality in both ends. He’s gonna try to do his best. That’s a good thing about our young guys. They have high expectations for themselves and they show up the next day and work.”

Demin was at least aggressive defensively in the Nets' 120-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, as he stripped the ball on Stephen Curry and dove for the loose ball on one possession.

Though he was ultimately called for a foul, Demin sent the message early that they were not going to back down from a team that isn't afraid to get under the skin of their opponents.

Demin also had a nice stunt at the ball to force a double team on Curry, who was already facing heavy ball pressure from Michael Porter Jr. As a result, the greatest 3-point shooter to ever live completely misfired from deep.

That's exactly what the Nets need from a bigger point guard on defense. Somebody who can use their size to their advantage to either force hard closeouts or close off driving lanes.

Offensively, Demin can also help open up shot opportunities for his teammates if he commits to driving to the hole more often, as it'll force opposing defenses to shift.

The BYU product has shown incredible self awareness in the early part of his career, but a few adjustments could make him that much more dangerous.