Egor Dëmin, the Nets' second-year guard, was named Brooklyn's likely best player three years from now. Alongside rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., the potential is high in the Nets' backcourt.
The Brooklyn Nets' front office has done a good job of attaining youth and veteran presences this offseason, adding established players like Julius Randle through free agency and high-upside talents like Mikel Brown Jr. through the draft.
Going forward, it will be the development of Brown and second-year guard Egor Dëmin in Brooklyn's backcourt that drives the engine for the franchise's rebuild.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes predicted each NBA team's best player in three years, with Dëmin getting the nod for the Nets.
"Dëmin shot 38.5 percent from deep last season and showed all the connective passing Brooklyn hoped for," Hughes wrote. "A Summer League performance that saw Dëmin flash rapidly developing on-ball skills and scoring chops inside the arc puts him over the top."
Hughes noted Brown, Randle, and Michael Porter Jr. all as potential candidates to earn the future nod, but said that the Nets' long-term plans with the latter are too unknown.
For Dëmin, who was the first point guard left off the All-Rookie teams, he will be asked to score more than last season, where Brooklyn was heavily reliant on Porter.
Prior to getting injured, Dëmin averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while starting in 45 of the 52 games he appeared in.
Towards the end of the year, he did display a bit more aggressiveness on the offensive end, while beginning to find a consistent stroke from the outside.
His highest 3-point output came back in late December against the Golden State Warriors, exploding for seven makes from distance, a Nets rookie record.
One week later, Dëmin caught fire trailing against the Orlando Magic, making five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead a storming comeback.
After shooting just 27.3-percent from beyond the arc in college, Dëmin's 38.5-percent clip from 3-point range last season was the highest 3-point field goal percentage by a qualified rookie in Nets history.
In the Summer League, this remained constant, while Dëmin also got to the rim and found space in the mid-range.
Alongside the rookie Brown, the Nets' front office has to be feeling good about the future of it's backcourt.
In mid-July, Dëmin talked about his relationship with his newest teammate and a nickname for the duo circulating around social media.
"The Aura Bros? I've seen that a little bit. He's been a really good friend of mine ever since he's here..." Dëmin told ClutchPoints reporter Kris Pursiainen. "I think we have a really good opportunity to be around each other a little bit, get to know each other. Get to feel what it is for the regular season, for the main team... I'm very happy with the idea of me and him being a duo, backcourt. I'm very happy."
Brown and Dëmin each have good size for the guard position, with length to be disruptors on defense.
Each young guard's willingness to pass and get teammates involved will also be a benefit to Brooklyn's scoring talent on the wings.
