NBA Draft: Egor Demin Draws Comparison to Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija

The Portland Trail Blazers are marching closer to the NBA Draft on June 25-26, the big event now just over two weeks away. One name continuing to draw buzz as a potential pick for Portland at No. 11 is the playmaking 6-foot-8 guard Egor Demin out of BYU.

ESPN has had the BYU freshman going to the Blazers at No. 11 since its mock draft in mid-May. Not only does ESPN send Demin to Portland, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo recently likened Demin’s game to Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija.

In an article that made pro comparisons for each projected lottery pick, Woo said two high-end comparisons for Demin would be Avdija or Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey. As a reference for Demin’s lower end of potential, Woo name-dropped NBA vet Kyle Anderson.

Although not perfect comparisons, Giddey, a historically below-average shooter who is at his best making plays with the ball, and Avdija, who has settled in the past couple of seasons as a multiskilled off-ball forward, can be used to illustrate different roles Demin could eventually settle into. Whether he’s capable of playing as a quasi-lead guard or adds more value as a connective player away from the ball remains to be seen, but both pathways are feasible depending how he develops.

If his development stagnates and doesn’t lead to a top rotation role, he could still provide long-term utility depth, similar to the way Anderson has for much of the past decade.

As is often the case in articles assessing Demin’s prospect pedigree, Woo commended Demin’s size, vision and playmaking while raising concerns about his athleticism and inconsistent 3-pointer (27.3% on 3s at BYU).

If things click and the Blazers could get a player of Avdija’s talent at the back-end of the lottery, I’m sure the organization and fans would view this year’s draft as a success. Dealing for Avdija last summer has turned out to be one of the shrewder moves of Portland general manager Joe Cronin’s tenure. Avdija took another leap this past season with Portland, his fifth in the league. Across 72 appearances, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game — all career-highs.

You can read the rest of Woo’s pro comparisons for potential lottery picks here.