WASHINGTON – Egor Dëmin started the past four games for the Nets, but logged just seven second-half minutes in Orlando on Friday.
Coach Jordi Fernández drew the lottery pick at the end of a 25-5 Magic run, teaming with veteran Tyrese Martin to steady the ship.
“At some point you try to find a group that will give you a chance,” Fernández said. “It’s not just about one player, it’s about finding a group.
“Egor played against a very physical team; those minutes are extremely valuable. But it’s not just about the rookies. I know [reporters] Ask me about the rookies all the time, but it’s everyone. … As a group we have improved by one percent [Friday]and that is the most important thing.”
Dëmin struggled coming off the bench, averaging just 5.3 points and 2.6 assists on .333 shooting and .323 from deep.
But since being thrust into the starting lineup due to Cam Thomas’ hamstring injury, the Russian rookie has blossomed.
Dëmin enters Sunday’s game in Washington averaging 10.5 points and 4.3 assists as a starter, shooting 41.2 percent overall and shooting 40.9 from behind the arc.
Michael Porter Jr. is one of only four players to average at least 23 points, six rebounds and three threes, joining Luka Doncic, Lauri Markkanen and James Harden.
He had 24 points, 11 boards and a career-high seven assists Friday in Orlando, but he was just 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter with terrible shot selection.
“I have to do my best to create a better offense for other guys and for myself, and not settle for really, really tough looks, especially in the fourth quarter,” Porter said.
Nic Claxton has ramped up his production.
After averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and no blocks through the first four games, he has increased that to 17.1 points, 7.8 boards, 4.1 dimes and 1.8 rejections over the past eight games.
Yet Claxton continues to underperform defensively.
His average of 3.9 is not enough for a starting center.
“I need to be better at that. I just need to be better at defensive rebounding, that’s for sure. We’ve been struggling. I’ve been struggling. It’s definitely a point of emphasis,” Claxton said.
“Yes, he sets high standards for himself,” Fernández said. “Right now it’s a team problem. I like that he’s pushing it on himself because he has high standards. And I think it’s great. I think he just wants to get better.”
The White House has accused Alibaba – of which Nets team owner Joe Tsai is chairman and co-founder – of providing technological support to Chinese military operations against targets in the US, according to the Financial Times.
A memo from President Donald Trump’s White House accused the e-commerce giant in part of harboring highly classified intelligence.
Alibaba denied the claims, suggesting they came from agents seeking to undo the progress the US and China had made in thawing their trade war.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea two weeks ago.
“The claims and innuendos in the article are completely false,” Alibaba said in a statement. “We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits it cannot verify. This malicious PR operation clearly came from a rogue state intent on undermining President Trump’s recent trade deal with China.”
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