Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin is trending toward returning on Wednesday vs. the New Orleans Pelicans after a two-week absence. Demin is probable for the matchup after missing the Nets' last six games due to a bone bruise in his right leg.
Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez said that the sophomore guard practiced fully on Tuesday.
“Yeah, Egor practiced with the rest of the team,” Fernandez told the New York Post's Brian Lewis. “Now we're doing a little extra session just to push him and see how he feels. Then we'll make a decision on whether he has a chance to play.”
Demin suffered the injury during the Nets' Oct. 27 loss to the Boston Celtics. He downplayed concerns about the injury following the game.
“I'll be good. It’s nothing serious. I’ll be ready to go,” Demin said. “I just got hit, got kneed in kind of like a muscle, bone area… Now it feels better than it did right away. I think I’ll be ready in a couple of days.”
While a couple of days turned into a couple of weeks, Demin's return could help to spark the 2-8 Nets.
The Nets will hope Demin finds his groove upon his return after a slow start to the season.
Demin averaged 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers on 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) shooting from the field and 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from three across his first three appearances. The BYU product posted two points on 1-of-3 shooting, with one rebound, two assists, and one turnover in 10 minutes before exiting against Boston.
Nets guard Egor Demin probable to return vs. Pelicans after two-week absence
Demin was among the best three-point shooters in last year's rookie class. He made significant strides as a driver, a main weakness of his game as a rookie, at Summer League, converting 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) two-point attempts.
However, he hasn't carried that improvement over to the start of his sophomore campaign. The 20-year-old has converted 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) two-point attempts across four preseason and four regular-season outings.
Demin has yet to play extended minutes alongside Nets No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. The back-to-back lottery picks shared the court for just four minutes across Brooklyn's first four games. That could change on Wednesday.
Article Continues BelowStarting point guard Nolan Traore is questionable vs. the Pelicans due to right calf soreness. If Traore can't play and Demin has no restrictions, Brown could make his first career start with Demin next to him.
Brown has averaged 12.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 turnovers on 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 31.1 percent from three across his first seven NBA games. The rookie point guard has shown a knack for producing down the stretch of tight games. Brown has posted 16 points in 13 clutch minutes this season while converting 4-of-8 three-point attempts.
Brooklyn suffered back-to-back losses against the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks on Friday and Saturday. The latter was a 37-point drubbing during which the Nets never led.
Fernandez's squad ranks 28th on offense (105.6 rating), 23rd on defense (114.8 rating) and 25th in net rating (-9.1) during a 2-8 start. The Nets will look to bounce back against a Pelicans team that has lost its last three games following a four-game winning streak.
If Demin plays vs. New Orleans, he'll have two days to recover before the Nets return to action on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies.