Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin will miss at least a week with a bone bruise in his right leg. The 20-year-old was hurt in the second quarter of the defeat by the Boston Celtics, bumping knees with Paul George as he defended a drive, and left the court straight away. "I'll be good. It's nothing serious. I'll be ready to go... I think I'll be ready in a couple of days," an upbeat Demin told reporters after the game. A more thorough medical assessment, however, showed that his recovery would take longer.
It is a painful blow. Demin averaged 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers over the first three games of the season, though his shooting was off, at 30.8% from the field (8 of 26) and 31.6% from three-point range (6 of 19). Head coach Jordi Fernandez has highlighted his progress in handling the ball and getting into the paint, while noting that he needs to become more physical in defence. In his absence, minutes will be shared among Keon Ellis, Nolan Traore, Terance Mann and Mikel Brown Jr., who scored 17 points against Boston.
