Amidst struggles, Egor Demin's Rising Stars selection offers a beacon of hope, breaking a long drought for the Nets and showcasing his promising future.
Silver linings have been hard to come by in recent weeks for a Brooklyn Nets squad in the midst of one of their most embarrassing five-game stretches in recent franchise history, losing each of their last five by an average margin of 25.2 points, including a 54-point beatdown at the hands of the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Fortunately, rookie guard Egor Dëmin's selection for the 2026 Rising Stars game on Monday delivered some hope for the franchise, and a semblance of a sense that they are headed in the right direction.
At the very least, this could signify that the Nets made the right decision by drafting him with the No. 8 overall pick this past summer.
He's already given Nets fans plenty of memories just 39 games into his debut campaign, and Dëmin's selection for the Rising Stars game also made a bit of history for the team, as he'll be their first Rising Stars representative in quite some time, according to Nets Daily's Collin Hellwig.
"Egor Dëmin is the first Brooklyn Net to make the Rising Stars game since Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs both did in 2019," Hellwig announced via X on Monday night.
During the process of showing Nets fans and media pundits that he can play ball at the highest level, Dëmin became the first Net in seven years to punch their ticket to the NBA's annual rookie showcase.
Through his first 39 contests, the sharp-shooting 6-foot-8 Russian guard has contributed 10.2 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds while connecting on 39.6% of his 6.2 three-point attempts, an impressive accomplishment for a rookie.
Entering the league, Dëmin received plenty of criticism for what was perceived to be a lack of outside shot-making, but the beginning of his Nets career has quieted all of the noise. Both off the dribble and as a true catch-and-shoot threat, Dëmin has been catching teams off guard with his quickly developing touch from long range.
Aside from his jump-shooting, Dëmin's feel as a play-maker and overall offensive player has seen an evident improvement. Situationally, it feels as though head coach Jordi Fernandez and the rest of his staff can trust the 19-year-old in big-time spots.
Of course, his unconscious 18-point performance in a 104-104 overtime defeat against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 7 is indisputable proof of that, as he came through with potential game-winning shots multiple times over.
The Nets have come a long way since 2019, and their latest Rising Stars Game participant could prove to be a massive piece of their puzzle moving forward.
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