Right now, he's not good to go. We'll see what the next step is. It's important that we manage them. As rookies, they come in, and usually when they do a lot of draft workouts their summer is not perfect because they go through a lot. It's almost like they're missing a summer. They do play summer league, but it's not a real summer. Then you get into training camp, and it feels like you go into playing right away.
It's like asking a bunch of kids, who are just learning how to swim, to make sure the other one doesn't drown. That's the tightrope Jordi Fernández has walked as the Nets push through the final stretch of a season that has gone sideways in the standings, even as the organization stays committed to a development plan built for patience.
The jumper gives Brooklyn spacing, and it gives Démin a base to build on. But the next step is the one that changes how defenses treat him. It's not another layer of shot-making. It's learning how to consistently get into the paint and get to where he wants to go on the floor, on his terms, against NBA bodies and NBA game plans.
As implosions go, this one was impressive. The Nets blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena. Brooklyn was cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse. They went without a basket for the final 5:18, giving away turnover after turnover - and a win they seemed to have in the bag.
"Day'Ron is special," Dëmin said. "His superpower is rebounding. A lot of his points are putbacks and those aren't easy. I joke with him that the last couple of weeks he's been looking for me a lot coming off handoffs and ball screens, and I tell him when he sets screens, I'm going to find him. The more you play together, the more confidence you build, and he makes the game easier for everybody."
Behind forceful nights from Nic Claxton, who scored a career-high 28 points, and Noah Clowney, who added 22, and with three rookies taking full advantage of their minutes, the Nets found just enough offense to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-115 at Barclays Center. The win pushed Brooklyn to 15-37, gave it consecutive victories after a three-game skid and came on a night the team entered 0-6 without Démin.
After the 3 p.m. deadline came and went, the Nets hadn't made a blockbuster move for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, or dealt away leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. Egor Dёmin, who scored 26 points, looks to make a move during the Nets' 118-98 blowout road loss to the Magic on Feb. 6, 2026 in Orlando. NBAE via Getty Images Other than waiving backup guard Cam Thomas, the rotation remained unchanged.
The LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors have agreed on a multi-team trade sending Chris Paul to the Raptors and Ochai Agbaji, a 2032 Raptors second-rounder and cash to the Nets, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The Raptors will not require Chris Paul to report to the team and could still discuss moving him before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.
I try to have a feel for it, but it's hard to judge because the NBA has so many variables - schedule, back-to-backs, travel, time changes. The more experience I get, maybe I'll get better at it. What matters is consistency and not being too emotional about it. No matter the schedule, no matter who's out, there are no excuses. Good teams find a way. That's what I'm asking from our guys: consistency in how we play and our purpose.
Through 38 games, Porter has authored the kind of season coaches typically reward when ballots land on their desks. He entered the day 14th among qualified players in scoring at a career-high 25.6 points per game, fifth in the East, while handing out a career-best 3.2 assists. He ranks seventh in the NBA with 145 made 3-pointers, the most by any player through his first 38 games as a Net, and second in the league with 3.8 made 3s per game, trailing only Stephen Curry.
