Igor Demin’s rookie campaign has come to an end. The Brooklyn Nets announced that the No. 8 pick will miss the remainder of the season due to aggravation of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Damien missed most of the offseason due to a torn plantar fascia.
The BYU product has missed Brooklyn’s last four games due to worsening left foot pain. While his season will be cut short, the Nets said Demin is expected to return to basketball activity at the beginning of the offseason and become a full participant in the summer development program. According to head coach Jordi Fernandez, he will not require surgery to resolve the problem.
“[Egor’s] Always been a child who wanted to play, to be outside, to grow; And nothing beats playing the actual game to get better at this level. But obviously, when you have discomfort, and it doesn’t allow you to play at that level, we have to find solutions,” Fernandez said. “At the end of the day, the good thing is that it’s a non-surgical procedure, which is good. And see what is the time table. But obviously getting him to work over the summer and getting better throughout the process and having a summer is important. So, the fact that he won’t be able to play these 20-something games is not for the best, because he wants to and we value real reps. But, at the same time, his health is the number 1 priority. And we are very optimistic and positive about it.
Jordi Fernandez on Egor Demin missing the rest of the season due to his plantar fascia injury:
“He’s a kid who wants to play, wants to be outside, wants to develop. There’s nothing better than playing a real game to get better. Obviously, when you have discomfort and… pic.twitter.com/X2fR8lPzNE
– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 9 March 2026
Demin missed several months during the offseason while rehabilitating his plantar fascia injury. After a promising start to the season, the 19-year-old’s production dipped after the All-Star break.
Egor Demin’s promising rookie season cut short due to plantar fascia injury
He averaged 6.6 points on 32.6 percent shooting from the field and 27.6 percent from three in his last six appearances. After not playing in one for over two months, Demin appeared in two back-to-backs during that period.
Fernandez said of Brooklyn’s decision to shut down Demin, “He was dealing with some discomfort, and it got worse and worse. And then we decided to look at it and make sure we could sort it out a little bit. We asked for different opinions and that’s what was recommended to us.”
Jordi Fernandez on the Nets’ decision to shut down Igor Demin:
“He was struggling with discomfort, and it got worse and worse. We decided to take a look and make sure we could sort it out a bit. We asked for different opinions and this is what was recommended to us.” pic.twitter.com/5uxxTOYi5o
– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 9 March 2026
The Nets’ selection of Demin with their first lottery pick in 15 years drew criticism. However, the Brooklyn guard was one of the NBA’s most productive rookies this season.
Demin averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists on .399/.385/.831 shooting splits in 52 appearances. He ranks second in three-point percentage among the 15 newcomers with more than 150 attempts, trailing only Con Knuppel (44.0 percent).
His +3.6 net rating swing (a player’s on vs. off score minus team points allowed per 100 possessions) ranks third among the 15 players under the age of 21 who have played more than 900 minutes this season, according to CleaningTheGlass. Only Con Knuppel (+5.3) and Trey Johnson (+3.9) have posted higher marks.
Demin will now have a full offseason to heal his foot and fine-tune his skill set ahead of Brooklyn’s crucial 2026-27 campaign.
“He’s gotten better at everything we ask him to do. The superpowers he has, he’s shown he can do it at this level, which is really cool. The shooting, not only how real it is, but how fast it goes,” said Fernandez when asked about his assessment of Demin’s rookie season. “His shots in clutch time, all those things, passing on the perimeter. And now defensively and offensively, the physicality that comes with the job and his body getting used to it. He’s taking steps. He’s able to get into the paint more often. Also defensively, he’s more physical and working on that technique. It’s going to come with his player development plan. The sooner we can get him in the summer and continue to work on these things so you can take steps forward.” can, [the better]. But he’s gotten better at everything we’ve asked him to do.”
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