Nets guard Egor Demin sets NBA rookie record with a 3-pointer in 34th straight game

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin set an NBA rookie record Friday night by making a 3-pointer in his 34th straight game.

Demin set the record on the first basket for the Nets against the Utah Jazz. He finished 6 for 12 from long distance, scoring 25 points and collecting 10 rebounds in a 109-99 victory for Brooklyn. Three of those long distance baskets came in the fourth quarter to help the Nets pull away late.

“There’s a reason why we drafted him,” Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We believed that (his) shooting was NBA shooting and he’s proven it from the beginning.”

Demin entered Friday’s game tied with Portland’s Rudy Fernandez (2008-09) and Philadelphia’s Landry Shamet (2018-19).

Drafted 8th overall out of BYU last year, Demin entered Friday’s game with 98 3-pointers this season, ranking second behind Charlotte’s Kon Kneuppel among NBA rookies. He has made the second-most 3s through 40 career games in NBA history, trailing only Kneuppel, and has shot 39.7% from long distance in that stretch.

“You see the confidence growing on him,” Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe said. “Who knows what Egor can be in the next couple of years?”

Extra hours spent on refining his shooting helped him become a reliable perimeter threat.

“Shooting the ball,” Demin said ahead of Friday’s game against the Jazz. “As simple as it is, just being in the gym and shooting the ball.”

The milestone represents a major leap forward from Demin’s one season at BYU where he shot just 27.3% from the perimeter. While Demin struggled to find his shot at times while playing in Provo, he credited BYU coach Kevin Young with helping him find success as a rookie.

“He’s an NBA coach, so he taught me — in this one year — basically whatever I have to know to be able to play at the NBA level,” Demin said. “He gave us a lot of knowledge so that I come here and I’m ready to play and I know what we’re doing and I have an idea of what it is. He gave me this base of an NBA player to be able to come here and know what’s going on around me.”

Demin has another record within reach. He has made the second-most 3s for a rookie in Nets’ history, trailing only Kerry Kittles’ 158 3-pointers in the 1996-97 season.

This season, Demin has set Nets rookie records for the most 3-pointers in a game (seven) and most games with five or more 3s (seven).

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