‘It was crucial’: Egor Demin opens up about his year at BYU, the rigors of Big 12 basketball and more

DALLAS — Egor Demin is not your average 19-year-old. Not only has the affable and versatile Russian already played for top European club Real Madrid, but he also spent one season at BYU, where he earned a spot on the 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team and set a program record for freshmen with 180 assists, sixth-most in school history.

In his 33 games as a Cougar, Demin averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, which led Brooklyn to select him eighth overall in the 2025 NBA draft. And even though he only spent one season in Provo, BYU is a place that will always be special to the NBA rookie.

“It was crucial. Obviously, that was my goal, to find a college where I would be able to build this foundation, a foundation for American basketball and transition from European and youth basketball to a professional league in America like the NBA, where it’s obviously very different,” Demin said prior to a mid-January Nets road game at Dallas.

“It was a goal to find that place where I’d be able to find this development in the right way that’s going to help me adapt to American basketball, which is better and faster. And KY (BYU head coach Kevin Young) being from the NBA and building at BYU this NBA system for younger kids, it was crucial. I have no doubt it was the right place for me to go for sure.”

Not only did the great coaching he received from Young and his staff benefit him immensely, but Demin remains grateful for how well the BYU fans treated him as a newcomer and for their continued support.

“Yeah, the BYU fans are a very special part of that organization. I really loved the environment,” he said. “The people are amazing and I can’t wait to get back there to watch games, not just basketball. That’s what BYU is about. Last year, I went to a volleyball game and felt like I was at Marriott Center playing my own game. Fans were supporting me, I was just a fan. It’s really, really cool and I think BYU fans are very, very cool. I miss that environment a lot. I loved it so much. It’s impacted my game and team for sure.”

And the ex-Cougar feels that playing before hostile crowds in the Big 12 at places like Arizona, Houston and Iowa State also helped prepare him for the sort of reception he’d receive on the road as an NBA rookie.

“That was also a big factor,” Demin said. “Teams like Houston and Iowa State, who have always been some of the top teams and the more physical ones, again, it’s about adaptation and transition from European basketball, which has less contact, to play against teams that are very mature and very physical.

“It was important that BYU is in a league like that. A lot of really close games and a lot of really good teams against older guys who are not professional yet, but it wasn’t that big of a jump. It helped me, especially being a primary point guard as a freshman. Handling the ball against guys who are trying to steal it from me was very helpful, even though sometimes I had trouble. But that helped me learn so now I can play against even better athletes with more confidence.”

Through 33 games with Brooklyn this season, he is averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Demin has scored a career-high 23 points twice, most recently on Dec. 29, 2025, against Golden State. His other 23-point game came against Philadelphia on Nov. 28, when he set another career high with nine rebounds.

And his current coach, Jordi Fernandez, who had extensive international experience before coming to the NBA in 2009, has already seen plenty to like about Demin, on and off the court.

“His consistency as a person (stands out most). He listens. He asks questions,” Fernandez said. “He is going to go out there and try his best. His verticalities, his deflections, that stands out. (He’s) playing that team defense. Offensively, he is a really good playmaker, especially at finding the 3-point line for others. His shot looks great. Very happy with the production, but extremely happy with the person.”

Of course, playing in the NBA is a full-time job, especially for rookies, who must resemble a sponge to absorb the often-dizzying amount of information thrown at them to ensure their success, but Demin still finds time to keep up with how the Cougars are faring this season.

“They’re obviously a way different team. KY, he’s a professional. He’s a true coach who can find a way for every player to reach their goals,” Demin said. “I’m super happy for him having players like AJ (Dybantsa) and obviously the older guys who were there last year like Richie (Saunders) and Keba (Keita). They look awesome. I’ve seen a couple of games fully.”

“His consistency as a person (stands out most). He listens. He asks questions. He is going to go out there and try his best. His verticalities, his deflections, that stands out. (He’s) playing that team defense. Offensively, he is a really good playmaker, especially at finding the 3-point line for others. His shot looks great. Very happy with the production, but extremely happy with the person.”

Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez on Egor Demin

He even got to see BYU in person when they played Clemson down the road from Brooklyn.

“I even went to Madison Square Garden (in December), which was amazing for me to get there and see them play in real life against Clemson. I’m really proud of what they are building right now,” Demin said. “The first year, everybody was figuring it out and now, the second year of KY’s era, they are obviously taking even bigger steps towards being a successful organization centered on development.”

Growing up in Russia, he remembers watching his father, Vladimir, play professionally and looking up to him and his teammates along with fellow Russians already in the NBA like Andrei Kirilenko, who played for the Jazz from 2001 through 2011.

“I wasn’t really into basketball as much when Kirilenko was playing. I’ve played basketball my whole life, but it was more like a hobby until the moment I said that I want to be a professional basketball player,” Demin said. “I’d been watching some NBA. My dad was playing for (BC) Khimki and I was at every game. (Alexey) Shved was one I was already (watching). He was big time at that moment and still, he’s one of the most talented players born in Russia ever.”

And when he made his NBA debut on Oct. 22, 2025, at Charlotte, he became the 11th Russian-born player in NBA history, obviously a huge achievement. “It means a lot, especially because I know how many more guys can get here after me.

“I’m sure there’s going to be so many more of them,” he said. “Right now, it’s a very important goal to make sure that guys know that they can make it here and show them it’s not impossible and that it’s very, very real and if you really want it, it can happen.”

And in terms of great situations to walk into as an NBA rookie, Brooklyn could not be a better fit, as he is one of six rookies, which means his rookie duties, those rites of passage every rookie must endure, which only include getting snacks and playing cards for road trips, are light. But having five other rookies sharing the experience of learning the ropes in the association clearly has its benefits.

“I just got a bunch of (playing) cards for the rest of the year. I just have to remember to bring them (to the plane),” Demin joked. “It’s really cool. We can learn from each other, we can teach each other different things. We’ve all been playing at different levels and are at different stages and different ages, that’s very cool because we can combine not just the talent but the knowledge within the team and within us as rookies. It’s a great experience.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.