When BYU basketball brought Egor Demin aboard the Kevin Young express, the prevailing sentiment surrounding the 5-star international prospect was his potential as a lottery selection after a one-and-done stint with the Cougs.
Not all went exactly according to plan, however.
Demin, though his passing touch was exceptional and his frame gave opposing defenses fits, struggled with his scoring consistency. Consequently, the defense began to play his passing lanes very aggressively and forced endless turnovers. Egor's early season with BYU gathered far more question marks than exclamation points, and he slipped through the projected draft order.
Until a strong NCAA Tournament outing paired with a head-turning NBA Combine generated enough buzz for speculation to grow that this Russian point guard could be a sure-thing top-10 selection.
Quite the turnaround, though his floor was never realistically below the 20th pick.
Jonathan Givony raved about Egor's draft stock in a mock draft for ESPN.com, where he explained why he saw the lanky point guard as the 11th pick to Portland.
"Demin had a positive week at the combine in Chicago, measuring bigger than expected at 6-9½ in shoes and then putting on one of the most impressive pro day performances we've seen in some time, causing even the most skeptical of NBA evaluators to acknowledge his undeniable talent.
"Demin has made significant gains with his body and will continue to fill out, while making a barrage of 3-pointers with picture-perfect mechanics and a lightning-quick release that offered significant room for optimism despite hitting 27% of his 3-pointers in his lone season at BYU. Also, NBA teams raved about his interviews in Chicago."
The frenzy surrounding BYU's guard isn't limited to just one man's opinion of course, as NBA insiders continue to rave regarding his ability at the next level.
Egor's next step is still largely up in the air -- a future clouded by mystery -- but one thing is certain: his talents have drawn the attention of teams across the NBA. Don't be shocked if you see this Coug slip into the top 10.
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