Rookie guard Egor Demin made his first career start Friday night, and he’s likely to remain in that role while Cam Thomas recovers from his strained hamstring, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez was encouraged by what he saw from the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, who had eight points, seven assists and only one turnover.
“He’s a really smart kid. He asks questions, he works at it, so I know he’ll understand all that,” Fernandez said. “His super power on defense (is) his length and rebounding. And if you look at (Friday), he grabbed three rebounds. And he should be able to get a lot of deflections because … his length, his positioning on defense is very good. So, keep growing on that end of the floor for sure.”
Lewis cites a “teaching moment” that occurred late in the first half after Demin forced a pair of shots during a 9-0 run by Detroit. Fernandez took him aside to explain the errors, and Demin said he appreciates the guidance.
“It’s really good for everybody — not just me, but the whole group in general — knowing that Jordi is really trying to help us and help the group,” he said. “And he’s super open to communicate and tell us what exactly he wants from us and not just the group, but each of us as personnel. And for me, it’s important to hear some advice from him during the game, before the game, after the game, things like this. So I think it’s really cool.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Thomas is projected to miss three-to-four weeks, but he said the injury doesn’t feel as severe as when he hurt his hamstring last season, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link). “It’s way different,” Thomas said. “It’s not as bad as the last one, I’ll say that. I dodged a bullet with that.”
- After being acquired from Denver over the summer, Michael Porter Jr. is experiencing what it’s like to be in a starring role rather a complementary player, Lewis states in a separate story. The Nets will rely on Porter to carry the offense even more while Thomas is sidelined. “I’m going to push myself to be able to handle a bigger load than I used to,” Porter said. “I’ve always been someone that can adapt to a situation. … As the season goes on, I’ll get even more comfortable figuring out how I can get good looks off against some of these really good defenders. It’s going to be a work in progress.”
- Noah Clowney reached double figures in scoring on Friday for the third straight time since being inserted into the starting lineup, notes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Clowney tied his career high by hitting four three-pointers in a quarter and finished with a season-best 19 points.