Egor Demin knew moment his Nets draft fate was sealed
The Nets' selection of BYU star Egor Demin shocked most draft observers Wednesday night.
But the Russian point guard's camp knew the instant Kon Knueppel came off the board that Demin had a great chance to land in Brooklyn.
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And the Nets let them know before the rest of Barclays Center got the shock.
'A few dominoes fell,' former BYU star Travis Hansen told KSL Sports on Thursday. 'We knew we were right there with Kon Knueppel and Egor. Brooklyn really liked both of them, so once Kon went four, we knew we had a real chance to go to Brooklyn.
'At some point, we got a text from Brooklyn that said 'He's ours!' And we all got chills. Egor went straight Russian mode because he had no expression on his face, [but] I did. … I couldn't keep it in. I was so excited for him that [it] was Brooklyn. It's one of the top three places we wanted to go.'
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3 Egor Demin celebrates after being selected eighth by the Nets.
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It's obvious why Demin would want to go to Brooklyn. The rebuilding Nets are able to offer development, immediate playing time and a huge Russian community.
'It's a great opportunity to be in a team where I'll be able to develop myself and also impact the game any way I can and just learn a lot,' Demin said. 'That's a historical club, historical organization. Obviously, it's a lot related to Russia in the past, a lot of Russian players were going through this organization. For me, it's an honor to be a part of the Nets.
'It reminds me a little bit of Moscow, of my hometown, just in how active it is. All the town is alive, so many people, cars, all that. There's just something I like. This town, it never stops. This is something I like about this place. It's really alive. Obviously, a lot of Russian restaurants that I'm happy to visit. That's the first thing I'm going to do, probably.'
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3 NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with the No. 8 pick of the Nets' Egor Demin during the NBA Draft
JASON SZENES/NY POST
Well, the first thing he did was actually get a workout in at HSS Training Center on Thursday.
Demin had worked out for the Nets three times in the predraft process, which is an inordinate amount. But he clearly made an impression.
It wasn't only the Nets who were impressed with him. Thunder GM Sam Presti actually had Demin over to his house, and was reportedly considering trading up from No. 15 to draft him.
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3 Alabama forward Grant Nelson drives on Brigham Young guard Egor Demin (3) during the second half of a Sweet 16.
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Demin also impressed Atlanta with his basketball IQ.
But in the end he landed with the Nets, who were working the phones for trades.
'Brooklyn's in that young development mode. It's exactly where we want him to be,' Hansen said. 'They're going to be patient with him and they're going to push him and he's going to have an opportunity to shine. So I don't know if there could've been a better fit. We definitely liked OKC, but Brooklyn's perfect for him.'
Israel's official X account congratulated Israel's Ben Saraf and Israeli-American Danny Wolf for being drafted 26th and 27th, respectively, by the Nets.
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Brooklyn signed Alabama's Grant Nelson to a two-way contract Thursday night after the forward went undrafted, The Post confirmed.
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