For one night, the league saw what the Nets see in Egor Demin

The Nets haven’t enjoyed Cam Thomas’ scoring since Nov. 5, and they took another hit before Friday’s 115-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers when Michael Porter Jr. was ruled out with lower back tightness. Porter had averaged 25.7 points in Thomas’ absence, leaving Brooklyn severely short on dependable offense.

Thomas is about a week away from his next injury update, and while the Nets aren’t worried about Porter’s back issue, head coach Jordi Fernández said they won’t push him to return before he’s ready. For a young roster, these shorthanded stretches can sometimes invite performances no one saw coming.

“I think it doesn’t [change the philosophy of the offense],” Fernández said. “Don’t take me wrong, it changes because those guys, their superpower is that they create a lot of attention, like I said with MPJ. But at the end of the day, it’s part of the NBA. There’s an opportunity for somebody else.”

And in the second half, Egor Demin made the most of his chance, showing skeptics why it’s dangerous to judge a rookie too early.

Nic Claxton and Terance Mann were the lone Nets in double figures at halftime, and Tyrese Martin added nine points off the bench. Brooklyn managed just 38.5% shooting in the opening half, with Demin held scoreless across his first 11 minutes as the Nets went into the break trailing 63-48.

Then a usually passive Demin flipped a switch, scoring eight points in the third quarter and 15 more in the fourth to finish with a career-high 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks, nearly dragging Brooklyn back into the game by himself. He attacked the glass, showcased real playmaking feel, skipped through the paint and knocked down five threes, finishing just one shy of tying the franchise’s single-game rookie record.

When the Nets needed offense, the 19-year-old delivered, helping the team cut the deficit to single digits on four different occasions in the second half and validating his status as the No. 8 pick. For one night, the league saw exactly what Brooklyn sees in him.

The vision is getting clearer.

“I just think we really needed to flip a switch and find a way,” Demin. “And for me, it was the moment when I just felt it better and I found that extra energy in myself.

“To really find that assertiveness and being decisive and being focused on what I can control and what we can control as a group and keep really following our staples and really trying to reach the goals we put pregame on our game plan and being able to get stops and run the floor.”

Fernández was encouraged by Demin’s performance against Philadelphia, but he still wants to see more consistency from both the rookie and the team. He cautioned against complacency yet praised the Russian guard for stepping up and playing aggressively when the Nets needed him most.

And with Brooklyn’s top scorers sidelined, that type of assertiveness becomes even more valuable. Nights like this are reminders of how opportunity can shift quickly on a young roster, and how important it is for players like Demin to stay ready when their number is called.

“He’s going to have to do that for four quarters and not just to take three attempts in the first [half] and 15 in the second,” Fernández said. “It doesn’t need to be equal or even, but he just has to find a way. And today, we needed him… And I thought his aggressiveness helped us, helped us and gave us energy.”