Nets player grades: Egor Demin drops 23 in tough NBA Cup loss to 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets (3-15) went into the Thanksgiving break with one of their more disappointing losses of the season along with the fact they had been eliminated from the NBA Cup. Brooklyn had yet another chance of winning their first home game of the 2025-26 season against the Philadelphia 76ers (10-8), but the Nets weren't able to seize the opportunity.

The Nets lost to the 76ers 115-103 despite the fact that they came back from a 21-point deficit to single digits thanks to a better shooting effort in the second half. Rookie guard Egor Demin had a splash performance with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks while forward Noah Clowney had 16 points and seven rebounds in what he had been a struggle for him shooting the ball.

The Nets came into this game without the services of forward Michael Porter Jr. and guard Cam Thomas for the first time this season and Brooklyn understandably struggled as they shot just 40.0% from the field. Brooklyn will have to turn around and get ready for their matchup on Saturday, but here's the player grades from Friday's loss to the 76ers:

Egor Demin: A-

Demin had a tough task ahead of him coming into this game as he was going to create more for this teammates than he normally would be asked to do due to Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas being out of the lineup. Demin had some flashes of what he could look like when he gets his confidence, but it's clear that he will have to improve the range of shots that he's ready to take, outside of when he gets hot from three-point land.

Terance Mann: B-

Mann, like Egor Demin, was going to be asked to do more with Brooklyn's two-best scorers out of the lineup and he met the task against a formidable Philadelphia defense. Mann was efficient for the entire game as he took what the defense gave him and he did a good job of setting up his teammates when the opportunity was there, which came few and far between.

Ziaire Williams: C

Williams surprisingly started this game after not playing one second in Monday's loss to the New York Knicks and it looks he met the challenge that head coach Jordi Fernandez was imposing upon him. Williams did a good job of scoring the ball in an efficient manner and he played some solid defense over the course of the game, especially in the second half when Brooklyn tried to make its comeback.

Noah Clowney: B-

Clowney had an off game in this one as he couldn't get much to go from three-point land, but he was able to get to the free-throw line repeatedly. Clowney is still developing his game inside the three-point line so when his three-point shot isn't falling, he can have games like this where the offense is a struggle for him. He did a great job of protecting the rim to help out Nic Claxton.

Nic Claxton: C+

Claxton struggled scoring the ball at the rim and that could be due to Andre Drummond, prior to his getting hurt, and Adem Bona providing some resistance in the paint. To partially make up for that, Claxton was able to get to the free-throw line, but overall, he has had better games rebounding the basketball and protecting the rim so this contest proved to be a disappointment.

Jalen Wilson: D

Wilson wasn't able to get anything going in this one as he could make a shot from three-point land despite getting some solid looks against Philadelphia's defense. As has been the case since he was drafted by the Nets, Wilson usually not have much of an impact on any given game if he isn't hitting his shots from behind the three-point arc or getting to the free-throw line.

Danny Wolf: C+

Wolf saw his first minutes for the Nets without it being in garbage time and he showed some positives and negatives over the course of his time on the floor. Wolf did not make a shot from the field, but he was aggressive getting to the basket and that allowed him to generate some free-throws. Wolf also did a good job of rebounding, something that he'll be asked to do on a regular basis if he starts seeing more playing time.

Day'Ron Sharpe: D

Sharpe did not have too much of an impact in this one as it seemed like the combination of Andre Drummond and Adem Bona posed too much of a challenge for him. Sharpe in general has had issues with turnovers when it comes to setting screens and handling the ball against pressure, but Philadelphia made sure to take him out of the game whenever possible.

Tyrese Martin: B+

Martin continued his stretch of providing solid play off the bench as the backup point guard to Egor Demin and this was one of the games where one wonders why he wasn't playing down the stretch of this matchup. Granted, Brooklyn has been clear on letting rookies Egor Demin and Drake Powell play through their mistakes, but Martin could also see more minutes at the same time.

Drake Powell: C

There wasn't much to take away from this game for Powell as he wasn't as aggressive as he was prior to the Thanksgiving break. At this stage of his development, Powell is going to be tested with his ball-handling and his ability to take advantage of defenders playing off of him.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Egor Demin drops 23 in tough NBA Cup loss to 76ers