Egor Demin's development will be among the top storylines surrounding the Brooklyn Nets' 2026-27 campaign. The former No. 8 pick turned heads at Summer League with his physical development. He continued to impress during the Nets' preseason opener.

Demin posted six points and five assists on 2-of-5 shooting in 18 minutes during Brooklyn's 124-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Russian floor general flashed his deep shooting range and consistently attacked the paint off pump fakes. Demin's five assists in the first half were a team-high.

“You see him with five assists in the first group. He leads that group in assists, which is great,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “But the whole team did a great job with the 31 assists. Egor was good. I want him to be aggressive to shoot or to touch the paint, and he's done it the whole summer. He's worked at it. He's stronger, and now he's very comfortable getting there. So, it's great. He's got to keep doing it. He's got to keep finding his teammates or getting good shots.”

Demin emerged as one of the top shooters in last year's rookie class, converting 38.5 percent of 12.2 three-point attempts per 100 possessions. However, he was a non-factor as an interior scorer.

Demin shot 43.3 percent on twos, the NBA's lowest mark among all players 6-foot-8 or taller. His limited driving ability also handicapped him as a playmaker, the main strength of his game in college, as he averaged 6.5 assists per 100 possessions compared to 11.6 per 100 at BYU.

Egor Demin turns in positive performance during Nets' win in preseason opener

Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the second quarter at Spectrum Center.
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After packing on muscle during the offseason, Demin showed dramatic improvement as a driver at Summer League. The 20-year-old converted 22-of-29 two-point attempts across five outings. While he didn't convert a two-point attempt on Monday, he showed similar aggressiveness, consistently attacking the rim and creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

“This year what I'm emphasizing is getting to the lane, getting to the paint, which is going to open up so much more opportunities for [playmaking],” Demin said at Media Day. “Being able to create not just for myself but for others and having opportunities for passes and playing in transition, playing fast basketball with [guys who have scoring] gravity like Michael [Porter Jr.], like Julius [Randle], like Mikel [Brown Jr.]… I've been working on certain things this summer, and seeing the progress helps a lot with the mental part. I've always said, once I get stronger, it's going to be different for me.

And it might sound like an excuse, but I truly believe the stronger I get, the better player I'll be. Because skill-wise, I can work on that stuff every day. But if somebody in front of me is way stronger than me, I can't go through him. I think getting stronger helps a lot. I think that brings the mentality and skill [together]. It's something that I work on every day.”

The showtime Nets? pic.twitter.com/uGjJrbaOG1

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 6, 2026

Egor Demin nearly catches a body. That pumpfake has been working for him tonight.

Good to see him attacking the basket with some bad intentions. pic.twitter.com/gKMtOpCZFB

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 7, 2026

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Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle led the Nets during Monday's win. Porter scored 16 points while converting 4-of-6 three-point attempts in 18 minutes. Meanwhile, Randle scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting with three assists and one turnover in 17 minutes.

The Nets return to action Thursday at Barclays Center against the Philadelphia 76ers. They'll close the preseason with matchups against the Washington Wizards and Miami Heat the following week before their regular-season opener against the Hornets on Oct. 21.