The Brooklyn Nets just made their highest draft pick in 15 years. And [New York Knicks fans](https://dailyknicks.com/vj-edgecombe-pick-proves-jalen-brunson-lives-rent-free-sixers-heads-01jymtr3edkr) are absolutely loving the chaos that ensued.
With hopes of landing Duke phenom Cooper Flagg or at least one of Rutgers’ top prospects like Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey, the Nets tanked their way to a 26–56 finish. Unfortunately, the lottery gods didn't hold any sympathy, as Brooklyn fell to the No. 8 overall pick.
And with that pick, the Nets selected BYU's Egor Demin. The 6-foot-9 Russian guard has tremendous upside, but the reactions from Nets fans have been less than stellar. Within minutes of the pick, Demin was being called a “worse Ben Simmons” on Twitter, and the meltdown was on.
It was pure poverty for Knicks fans. After years of being mocked by Nets Twitter for every draft miss and front office blunder, watching Nets fans spiral over an unproven international guard with a broken jumper felt like karmic justice.
Nets fans are crashing out over the Egor Demin pick and Knicks fans love it
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sure, Demin’s a phenomenal passer with real defensive potential, but we’ve all seen this archetype before. Knicks fans remember Frank Ntilikina. Pistons fans remember Killian Hayes. The ceiling might be high, but the floor is buried somewhere in the G League.
The Nets are in full teardown mode. With no stars, no direction, and very few foundational pieces, it makes some sense to take a big swing on upside.
Egor Demin is exactly that. He's an oversized playmaker with rare passing vision and the frame to eventually become a capable NBA defender. If the shot ever comes around, Brooklyn might have something. But that’s a massive _if_, and Nets fans are clearly not in the mood for patience.
The reactions online have been hilarious. “I waited 15 years for the Nets to have a top 10 pick and they took f—ing Egor Demin,” [one fan posted](https://x.com/MendNets/status/1938040516945580131). Many others questioned how general manager Sean Marks could pass on prospects like Khaman Maluach and Collin Murray-Boyles.
Of course, it didn't take long for the Ben Simmons comparisons to start. The numbers from his final 28 games at BYU — 37.2% from the field, 22.1% from three — didn’t help the cause.
There's a world in which Demin pans out. But for a fanbase that just sat through a 26–56 season hoping for Cooper Flagg, it’s hard to blame them for seeing this as a nightmare. Knicks fans, meanwhile, are enjoying every second of it.
More New York Knicks news and analysis:
---------------------------------------