Did the Nets take three point guards and a point center or four playmakers?
It’s not so much that the Brooklyn Nets drafted by position June 26, three point guard and a point center as well as the draft class’s leading athlete. Nope. as was noted on draft night, they drafted quick-thinking players, central to their overall and apparently long-term strategy to move the ball. It’s a system that the Oklahoma City and Indiana Pacers used to get to the Finals, what many in the league call, “0’5 basketball” In that system, players either shoot it, pass it or drive it in a half second. Just don’t hold the ball. So drafting the only three players in the draft class with a six assists per 36 minutes average and the best passing big man in college ball makes sense.
With that in mind, Egor Demin, previously known as a 6’9” point guard, now says don’t call him that anymore. Describe his by what he does, not some label … as Brian Lewis wrote Thursday in profiles of Demin and Nolan Traore.
“I got a little too deep into calling myself a point guard. Now, I prefer to say I’m a playmaker,” Demin said after NBA debut two nights ago. “I just really want to learn how to make plays. Off the ball, how to be a cutter, how to be a screener, how to rebound the ball, and really improving myself on defense.
“Being a point guard nowadays is not coming to the idea of just bringing the ball up and organizing everybody — which it is, for sure — but there are playmakers on the court who are not being point guards, and that’s where I see myself at. I really want to be all over the court.”
Steve Hetzel, No. 2 to Jordi Fernandez and Summer League head coach agreed with his point guard, uh playmaker’s, read of the system.
“The league is now multiple ball handlers, multiple attackers,” said Hetzel. “If you look at the team that just won the championship, they’ve got Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who can both put the ball in the paint. We feel like the more people that we can have attacking and making plays, the better we are.
“Egor’s biggest strength is his passing. Something that doesn’t get recognized as much is the simple kick ahead. We want to play fast. He gets the outlet, he kicks it ahead to Danny, Ben, or Nolan, and now we’re attacking. And he is very, very good at that. His passing, I think, will be his biggest strength, and then as he grows and gets stronger, he’ll be able to get more downhill and into the paint.”
Of course, the Nets have three rookies designated by everyone as “point guard” — 6’9” Demin, 6’4” Nolan Traore and 6’7” Ben Saraf — who’s more of a combo guard as evidenced by his 28.1 scoring average in FIBA Europe last year. Traore certainly seemed to justify his reputation as the player with the quickest first step in his draft class. As Lewis wrote Friday, talking about the Flatbush5 debut: “It’s no surprise the one who adjusted the quickest is the one who plays the quickest: lightning-fast Nolan Traoré.”
He finished with 13 points, three assists and three rebounds. Like Demin, he rejects the labeling.
“It was just game flow,” said post-game Thursday when asked about which of the Nets point guards is the lead. “So whoever gets the ball, whoever is the closest is going to get it,” Traoré said. “And we don’t mind if it’s me or him. We just play.
“I don’t care who brings the ball up. We just want to play because, as you say, there’s multiple guys who can handle the ball, so we don’t care who. We just play through it.”
Demin said the basically same thing.
“It’s one ball, and we can’t both be on it,” Demin said, laughing. “We can alternate, we can switch.
“And for me, obviously I can make this role look like a point guard, too, if I get the rebound and I just push it. It’s just about the game plan and looking for something we can accomplish with this combination,” said Demin. “How can I be playing different roles, doing whatever it takes to be efficient, being able to adjust myself and my game?”
Sean Marks’ success in this draft — at least — is going to depend on all that working. Drafting Demin over Khaman Maluach at No. 8 was a surprise. To an extent so was Traore over Kasparas Jakučionis at No. 19 and a lot of fans wanted Rasheer Fleming or Hugo Gonzalez or even Maxime Reynaud over Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf at Nos. 22, 26 or 27.
Bottom line, the Nets think they got players they think they needed or perhaps wanted, that drove the selections rather than the totally subjective “best player available.” Will it work? “Good question” as Jordi Fernandez has said every time he’s talked about drafting five first rounders. It better work. The organization, the GM and head coach, have all invested a lot in it.
- Egor Demin already knows he won’t be only a traditional point guard for Nets – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- Speedy Nets rookie Nolan Traore off to fast start in summer league – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- What we learned from the Nets’ first Summer League game – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
- Brooklyn Nets Film Room: Egor Dëmin’s Summer League Debut – Wilko Martinez – Sports Illustrated