Egor Demin - NBA Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

Demin was one of the more hyped up draft prospects during the early portion of the 2024-25 season before hitting a wall at the start of Big 12 play. If Demin can improve his jumper at the next level, he can be one of the best guards in his class when it's all said and done. That will be his swing skill. The Timberwolves drafted Rob Dillingham at No. 8 last year, but starting PG Mike Conley is nearing the end of his playing career.

Demin entered the season as the first five-star recruit to commit to BYU and responded by averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He dazzled as a playmaker throughout the season, ranking third in the Big 12 in assists after setting the freshman program record with 180. After shooting just 27.3% from 3-point range, Demin showed improvement at the combine, connecting on 14-of-25 attempts in the 3-point star drill. His showing on Tuesday will certainly help his case among teams with concerns about his potential as a shooter.

Dawkins comes from the Oklahoma City Thunder school, and he's tended to select players with similar attributes to what the Thunder value. They love players with plus positional size, skill level, processing ability and character attributes. This is the same organization that selected bigger guards in Josh Giddey and Nikola Topić over their time, with Topić coming after Dawkins departed. Demin fits the billing. He's a 6-9 guard who can play the point and is the best passer in the class. His vision is sublime. But he struggled to score this year. He struggled to get paint touches because his handle is not particularly developed yet, and he doesn't have the threat of the jumper to fall back on, having made under 30 percent from distance. Still, many teams think they can fix the jumper, and if so, it would open up the rest of his game as a passer and playmaker. I'm a bit lower on Demin than this, but I'd put his range from the late lottery to No. 22 or so.

Pro Comparison: Josh Giddey

Egor Demin's playmaking at 6'9" will sway teams to look past some of the questions around his shooting and turnovers. He was still a capable shotmaker and strong driving finisher using his size and ambidexterity.

Teams will study his shot and mindset during the predraft process. The mid-first round remains a realistic range, with his suitors likely to be teams that want another ball-handler who can set the table.

Scouting report: Demin is a polarizing prospect, more theoretical in nature than some would hope in terms of the productivity, consistency and bankable skills he can hang his hat on early in his NBA career. He's also exceptionally talented, a 6-foot-9 point guard who can make every pick-and-roll read and pass, often in highlight-reel fashion.

The evolution of his shooting will be a major swing skill for his development, but he made promising gains in a few different areas as the season moved on and clearly has significant upside to grow into at 19 years old. -- Givony

NBA intel and fit: The Bulls continued to happily tread water this season, losing in the opening round of the play-in tournament after a 39-43 campaign a decade removed from their last playoff series win. Chicago will likely need to shake up its roster in a more serious way to have a viable chance of avoiding the play-in tournament in the near future, but the team has limited options for internal improvement, making this pick an important tool for the front office to use. -- Givony

Demin is one of the more polarizing players in this draft as a brilliant passer at 6'9 who struggles against physicality. The Russian guard was drawing top-five hype early in the season against lower level competition, but Big 12 play exposed some pressing questions about his game. Demin can see over the top of almost any defender and find angles other playmakers would miss. The problem is he can't always access his passing because he's physically weak, limited athletically, and doesn't have a reliable handle yet. Demin often settled for threes because he couldn't beat his man off the dribble, but he's not a good shooter yet (27.3 percent from three). Getting stronger and improving his jumper could change a lot for Demin, but it's hard to think he's worth a lottery pick given his flaws.

Ah, the brilliant playmaker who may or may not score. It's a cruel plight the basketball gods dish out on occasion, but Demin, the huge but skinny and slow-moving BYU guard, can still be able to persevere if he finds a way to score with some consistency. Atlanta is likely in search of a defensive anchor, but Demin could give its offense a steady hand when Trae Young sits, or help bridge to the future should it decide to move on from Trae before he can hit free agency in 2026. Demin is the best overall transition passer in this draft, which should feed splendidly into the strengths of the Hawks' perimeter talent. Star bets feel a bit pie-in-the-sky for the 19-year-old, but his vision and feel for the game are special enough that you take the swing.

The best passer in the draft finds a fit in Houston on a young team to help connect it all together. Demin's highlight-level passing will elevate the Rockets' star pieces and its already-strong offense under Ime Udoka.

Demin has a rare ability at his size to make dazzling passes. At 6-foot-9, he'd add a unique ingredient to the Spurs' frontcourt. But he's no guarantee to thrive in the NBA. At BYU, Demin struggled to shoot and create his own shot against lengthy defenders, making him more of a love-him or hate-him prospect than a sure thing. But the Spurs already have a primary creator in De'Aaron Fox, so Demin could be worth the risk since he can develop slowly as a creator while leaning into his existing strengths as a cutter, screener and defender.