Jordi Fernandez explains Nets’ decision to shut Egor Demin down for season

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Jordi Fernandez explains Nets’ decision to shut Egor Demin down for season

Erik Slater, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Mar 9, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Jordi Fernandez explains Nets' decision to shut Egor Demin down for season appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Egor Demin 's rookie campaign is over. The Brooklyn Nets announced the No. 8 pick will miss the remainder of the season due to increased plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Demin missed most of the offseason due to a plantar fascia tear.

The BYU product missed Brooklyn's last four games amid increased left foot soreness. While his season will be cut short, the Nets said Demin is expected to return to basketball activity early in the offseason and be a full participant in the summer development program. He will undergo a non-surgical procedure to address the issue, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.

"[Egor's] always been a kid that wants to play, wants to be out there, wants to develop; and nothing better than playing real games to get better at this level. But obviously, when you have discomfort, and it doesn't allow you to play at that level, we had to find solutions," Fernandez said. "At the end of the day, the good thing is it's non-surgical procedure, which is good. And see what the timetable is. But obviously the summer and getting him to work and get better throughout the process and having a summer is important. So, the fact that he's not going to be able to play these 20-some games, it's not the best, because he wants to and we value real reps. But, also, his health is the No. 1 priority. And we're very, very optimistic and positive about it."

Demin missed several months during the offseason while rehabbing his plantar fascia injury. Following a promising start to the season, the 19-year-old's production dipped after the All-Star break.

Egor Demin 's promising rookie season cut short by plantar fascia injury

He averaged 6.6 points on 32.6 percent shooting from the field and 27.6 percent from three across his last six appearances. Demin appeared in two back-to-backs during that span, after not playing in one for over two months.

"He was dealing with some discomfort, and it got worse and worse. And then we decided to take a look and make sure we can settle it a little bit. We ended up asking for different opinions, and this is what was recommended to us," Fernandez said of Brooklyn's decision to shut Demin down.

The Nets' selection of Demin with their first lottery pick in 15 years drew criticism. However, the Brooklyn guard was among the NBA's most productive rookies this season.

Demin averaged 10.3 points , 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .399/.385/.831 shooting splits across 52 appearances. He ranks second in three-point percentage among 15 rookies with over 150 attempts, trailing only Kon Kneuppel (44.0 percent).

His +3.6 net rating swing (team points scored minus team points allowed per 100 possessions with a player on vs. off) ranks third among 15 players younger than 21 years old who have played over 900 minutes this season, per CleaningTheGlass. Only Kon Kneuppel (+5.3) and Tre Johnson (+3.9) have posted higher marks.

Demin will now have a full offseason to rehab his foot and fine-tune his skill set ahead of Brooklyn's pivotal 2026-27 campaign.

"He's gotten better at everything we ask him to do. The superpowers that he has, he's shown that he can do it at this level, which is really good. The shooting, not just how real it is, but how fast it goes in," Fernandez said when asked for his assessment of Demin's rookie season. "His shots in clutch time, all those things, the perimeter passing. And now defensively and offensively, that physicality that comes with the work and his body getting used to it. He's taking steps. He's been able to get into the paint more times. Same defensively, with him being more physical and working on that technique. That's going to come with his player development plan. The sooner we can have them in the summer and keep working on these things so you can keep taking steps forward, [the better]. But he's gotten better in every single thing that we've asked him to do."

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