AK-47 thinks with more aggressive style, Demin could be ‘awesome.’
In an interview with Brian Lewis, Andrei Kirilenko, past Nets player and present head of the Russian Basketball Federation, tells fans not to worry about his 3-point shot of his protege Egor Demin. Instead, he tells Lewis that the 19-year-old needs to break out of his European role and be more aggressive.
“I don’t worry about his jumper at all. He’s a normal shooter,” Kirilenko told The Post reporter via phone from Russia. “All he needs to do, he needs to be more motivated to play with the ball, and be more a decision-maker rather than give the ball away and play it for the team.
“I’m not saying that in a bad context, of course. It’s basketball, you need to play as a team. But with him, what I see, if he would be more aggressive [but] keep this angle to involve his teammates, he would be positive. He would be awesome.”
Kirilenko attributes his style to where he learned to play. “I guess it’s just because he’s young and grew up in Europe.
Kirilenko who played two years with the Brooklyn Nets, the last two of his 15-year NBA career. has worked with Demin since the Nets rookie was just starting out in the game, helped him decide on Real Madrid, then BYU and offered his congratulations on being picked by his old team (which another Demin’s mentor, Travis Hansen, said was one of three organizations they preferred he land.)
“His appearance in my path was really, really helpful for me and for my family,” said the rookie.
AK-47 told Lewis he’s given Demin models for his growth in the NBA: Russell Westbrook and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Shai is the perfect example of how Egor can be aggressive enough, but at the same time involve your partners,” Kirilenko said.
“For me, it’s for sure a goal to be able to really find this extra pace, to be extra aggressive,” Demin told Lewis. “And he really told me try to be Russell Westbrook. When we talked, he told me about this, and he was telling me, ‘I love Russell Westbrook just for his energy. He never stops, plays super hard.’ He’s impacting the game in different ways, starting from defense to rebounding to the hustle plays. That’s something I’ve gotta do. I’ve got to know how to do better.”
He will start that process Thursday at 5:00 ET when he faces off against Oklahoma City whose GM Sam Presti was a big man, according to reports.
- Nets rookie Egor Demin’s deep bond with Andrei Kirilenko comes with one loud piece of advice ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- Mentored by AK-47, Nets’ Egor Dëmin tackles NBA’s toughest challenge – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News