The Nets鈥 selection of BYU star Egor Demin shocked most draft observers Wednesday night.
But the Russian point guard鈥檚 camp knew the instant Kon Knueppel came off the board that Demin had a great chance to land in Brooklyn.
And the Nets let them know before the rest of Barclays Center got the shock.
鈥淎 few dominoes fell,鈥 former BYU star Travis Hansen told KSL Sports on Thursday. 鈥淲e knew we were right there with Kon Knueppel and Egor. Brooklyn really liked both of them, so once Kon went four, we knew we had a real chance to go to Brooklyn.
鈥淎t some point, we got a text from Brooklyn that said 鈥楬e鈥檚 ours!鈥 And we all got chills. Egor went straight Russian mode because he had no expression on his face, [but] I did. 鈥 I couldn鈥檛 keep it in. I was so excited for him that [it] was Brooklyn. It鈥檚 one of the top three places we wanted to go.鈥
It鈥檚 obvious why Demin would want to go to Brooklyn. The rebuilding Nets are able to offer development, immediate playing time and a huge Russian community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to be in a team where I鈥檒l be able to develop myself and also impact the game any way I can and just learn a lot,鈥 Demin said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a historical club, historical organization. Obviously, it鈥檚 a lot related to Russia in the past, a lot of Russian players were going through this organization. For me, it鈥檚 an honor to be a part of the Nets.
鈥淚t reminds me a little bit of Moscow, of my hometown, just in how active it is. All the town is alive, so many people, cars, all that. There鈥檚 just something I like. This town, it never stops. This is something I like about this place. It鈥檚 really alive. Obviously, a lot of Russian restaurants that I鈥檓 happy to visit. That鈥檚 the first thing I鈥檓 going to do, probably.鈥
Well, the first thing he did was actually get a workout in at HSS Training Center on Thursday.
Demin had worked out for the Nets three times in the predraft process, which is an inordinate amount. But he clearly made an impression.
It wasn鈥檛 only the Nets who were impressed with him. Thunder GM Sam Presti actually had Demin over to his house, and was reportedly considering trading up from No. 15 to draft him.
Demin also impressed Atlanta with his basketball IQ.
But in the end he landed with the Nets, who were working the phones for trades.
鈥淏rooklyn鈥檚 in that young development mode. It鈥檚 exactly where we want him to be,鈥 Hansen said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be patient with him and they鈥檙e going to push him and he鈥檚 going to have an opportunity to shine. So I don鈥檛 know if there could鈥檝e been a better fit. We definitely liked OKC, but Brooklyn鈥檚 perfect for him.鈥
Israel鈥檚 official X account congratulated Israel鈥檚 Ben Saraf and Israeli-American Danny Wolf for being drafted 26th and 27th, respectively, by the Nets.
Brooklyn signed Alabama鈥檚 Grant Nelson to a two-way contract Thursday night after the forward went undrafted, The Post confirmed.