Julius Randle quickly learned he’s “dealing with kids” in Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. following his trade to the Brooklyn Nets. That doesn’t mean the pair of Nets lottery picks aren’t up for the arduous task ahead of them.
Demin and Brown — the Nets' highest draft selections of the Brooklyn era — are carrying the future of the franchise on their shoulders. The duo's skill set and maturity have left Randle impressed as he prepares to guide the young team through its rebuild.
“They're so eager to learn and get better. They're obviously extremely talented, but they have a competitive nature and a hunger to get better,” Randle said. “So when you have that, all you really just need is guidance. For me, when I was that age, early in my career, I had the best example you could have in Kobe. And I feel like those lessons and just that example that he set for me have carried me throughout my career to where I can be here in year 13, and I'm still trying to improve every single day, get better every single day. So they're talented, man. They can do a lot of different things.
“Mikel, for a 19-year-old rookie to be able to come off a pick-and-roll and understand how to make every single read at a young age. Usually, when you're a young player, you want to get a basket every time, but he's coming off a pick-and-roll and really understanding how to read and play the game. And Egor does the same. Egor can really shoot the ball. He's 6-foot-9, athletic, moves really well with and without the ball. He has a great background playing in Spain early in his career, so he really understands the game. These guys are going to be great for a long time.”
Demin's impressive rookie season breathed life into a battered Nets fanbase. The Russian guard was one of three rookies to average over 10.0 points and 3.0 assists with a true shooting percentage above 56.0, alongside Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper.
Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr. shouldering lofty expectations as Nets' building blocks
Demin improved dramatically as an interior scorer, his main weakness as a rookie, at Summer League. The 20-year-old converted 22-of-29 two-point attempts (75.9 percent) and made 17 trips to the free-throw line across five appearances. He shot 1-of-3 on twos and made one trip to the free-throw line across three Summer League appearances the year prior.
“It's been a long way adjusting from college basketball and European basketball. It's a way different thing in the NBA with the type of athletes that there are,” Demin said. “It's been a long way adjusting to what's in front of me and trying to just take one step at a time without thinking about pressure from the fans or wherever else. I think it was important for me to really be focusing on what's going on within the organization, within the team especially. And as I said, just taking one step at a time and stacking those days to really be able to build on top of what I already had, what I'm seeing, what I'm learning from. And I think that's been a very, very efficient process for me this summer.”
Meanwhile, Brown was considered the highest-upside prospect among the Nets' realistic options at No. 6 in this year's draft. The Orlando native appeared in only 19 games while battling a back injury during his freshman season at Louisville. However, at 6-foot-4 with superb athleticism and dynamic dribble-pass-shoot ability, he flashed star potential when available.
The rookie will shoulder a heavy mental load as Brooklyn's projected starting point guard. Yet, he's not worried about the transition to running an NBA offense.
Article Continues Below“Honestly, it hasn't been too much of a transition for me just because of who I am,” Brown said. “I'm a savant when it comes to that stuff. So anything that they really throw at me is not really just a surprise. It's more about the terminology and how they word it. I'll say that. But it's been easy for me. It hasn't been such a big transition just because I'm constantly studying and the coaches are helping me as well. I watch film with the coaches every single day.”
Brown's decision-making was a main criticism of his game during the pre-draft cycle. While the numerous highlight passes on his Louisville film showcase his elite vision, he averaged over three turnovers per game. His shot selection also left much to be desired, as he converted just 41.0 percent of his field goal attempts.
Brown has already been making adjustments in those areas ahead of his rookie campaign.
“That's something that I definitely looked at during this pre-draft process, and that's just something that I'm continuing to cut down,” he said of his turnovers. “Honestly, any read that I think I'm going to make, I'm thinking it's going to be the right read, and if it goes bad, it goes bad. So it's just the flow of the game. It just happens. I'm looking to cut down my turnovers and take care of the ball, but that swagger is going to stay regardless. I'm a high-risk, high-reward guy. Obviously, I know sometimes it's better to hit the single, and that's what I've been talking to my coaches about, and I've gotten better at that.”
Demin and Brown's chemistry will be critical, not only as the team's backcourt of the future, but also as its young leaders in the locker room. The former said his main emphasis this season will be bringing the team closer on and off the court.
“[Mikel's] my brother. I haven't known him that long, but we've had an opportunity to build that relationship, and I think it's been going great,” Demin said. “I'm super excited to get on the court with him and finally get going… I think I could help him fight [through] certain adversities… Hopefully I can help him navigate [adversity] a little bit better [than I did as a rookie], or maybe help with something, or just be someone he can [lean on] and talk to. My goal is to make this group not just coworkers, but actual friends. I'm not going to say family because it's a strong word to use, and when you become a family, I think that's where you become a championship contender. But I think becoming friends is very important. So that's my goal for the season, not just with Mikel, but everybody else.”
Meanwhile, Brown isn't taking the opportunity ahead of him for granted.
“It's an honor. I feel like these opportunities don't come by often, and I'm grateful for it,” he replied when asked about being a source of hope for Nets fans. “I'm constantly striving every single day to be the best person I can be and impact winning. My teammates have been pushing me every single day, constantly pouring into me and telling me to keep that confidence and keep going. They're riding there with me. So it makes it much easier because I have my teammates pushing me as well. I'm going to push them. So, as I said, it's an honor.”