Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Dëmin has outlined his primary offseason objectives: winning the Summer League and establishing a strong connection with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. Dëmin emphasized his goal to contribute significantly to the team's Summer League success while fostering chemistry, particularly with the team's recent lottery pick.
"The first thing, the goal of the whole team is win Summer League," Dëmin said. "My goal is to benefit that as much as I can and bring the biggest impact I can. And building a connection with the whole team, especially the rookies. With Mikel to be on the court as much as we can together and work this whole thing through before we actually start playing in the season."
The Nets selected Dëmin as their first lottery pick in 15 years and drafted Brown with the sixth overall pick in the recent NBA draft. Coach Jordi Fernández views the pair's skill sets as complementary rather than redundant.
"They can obviously play together," Fernández stated. "Egor provides gravity and elite shooting, obviously ballhandling too. And Mikel, more of a primary ballhandler, very good athlete, scorer, too. So we’re gonna obviously see it in Summer League, but I don’t see any problems with them playing together."
Fernández added that Dëmin's ability to play off the ball and his shooting prowess are expected to enhance Brown's athleticism and driving ability. With Dëmin having recovered from a plantar fascia injury that ended his rookie season, the pairing is set to make its debut in either the California or Las Vegas Summer League.
"I love [the fit]," Dëmin said. "[His skills] are going to benefit my game. It’s going to be important to be dialed in with my shooting, and having a guy like this by my side who’s going to get all the defense on him, get to the paint, this is where we can benefit from each other. He shoots the lights out, so for me bringing the ball up sometimes — playing something for him or looking for opportunities in transition — that’s something we could really build on. We could be a special combo."
Dëmin also reported that he has gained between 13 and 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, strength he believes will aid his ability to drive to the basket. He has focused on using this added strength to be more aggressive, get into the paint, and finish through contact.
"A hundred percent," Dëmin agreed. "That was one of the main focus of on-court work we’ve done this summer, is to use what I learned in the lifting room, make sure I use it and get these habits of being more aggressive looking for the gaps and going to the paint, trying to get on the rim more. … That was the main focus, to get used to the contact and get into the paint."
Fernández noted Dëmin's commitment to strength training, stating, "He’s done an unbelievable job working in the weight room. He looks more like a grown-up, and he’s going to do things way better than he did last year."