NBA Comparison: Josh Giddey/Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

Strengths: Unique player with rare vision and passing, in a 6’9” frame … Majority of his BYU freshman season highlights are passes and play creation… Was raised around the game of basketball and it shows in his feel and IQ … Makes things happen, finds lanes, can make the spectacular pass … Despite height and lean frame, is not weak, does not easily get knocked off balance. Has a nice combination, of speed, quickness, deception, and balance … Dribble drives and find his spots, even handling stockier, more powerful defenders … Uses a ball screen well, can hang a defender up on his hip and control the motion of the play … BYU played “an NBA style” offense which should translate well for Demin … Makes quick decisions on the catch to redistribute and create the “hockey assist* … Height helps him find right pass… Adequate athlete, fairly quick first step and decent speed … Decent instincts defensively. Gets his arms out in the passing lanes and seems to have natural instincts for deflections and steals … Decent rebounder at the guard position … Definitely more of a threat with the ball in his hands, but not bad with off ball cuts and strong lay up and floater package … Scoring-wise, most effective inside 17 feet, and will even post his defender up and hit a shot over them using his height advantage …

Weaknesses: Consistency was not there as a freshman at BYU … Clearly a polarizing prospect – Demin is a below average outside shooter at the guard position (27% from three his freshman campaign) and struggles to score overall compared to other elite prospects  … Neither confident nor fluid from distance … Had just one 20 point game in his freshman season. But had five games with fewer than five points (all while playing 20+ minutes) … Can he develop into enough of a scorer to play meaningful minutes at the next level? … Shot just 41% from the field overall at BYU. 70% from FT – not bad, but also can improve … Will his shooting improve? Or will he be able to carve out a mid range assassin type game a la Shaun Livingston? … Is most effective with the ball in his hands. Is not as effective off-ball. Will he provide enough to control the ball a significant amount of time in the NBA? … Demin’s success at the next level likely will depend on his ability to offer enough efficient scoring …

Notes: Hails from Moscow… Spent three seasons playing for Real Madrid in Spain … Made the 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team… Had the most assists in BYU debut in program history (11)… Named to FIBA’s Europe 20 Under 20 … His father played for Russia’s national team and had a long career as a pro. Demin’s mother also reportedly played youth basketball at a high level … Trained at the prestigious Trinta (Moscow Basketball Academy) known for producing top Russian players … When on Real Madrid was reportedly mentored by former NBA Player Sergio Rodriguez … Decided to attend BYU rather than stay in Europe to help fulfill his goal of making the NBA … Reportedly also received offers from Duke, UConn, and Arkansas, among others …

Drew Wolin 3/30/25