NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Egor Demin has been asked to do plenty of tasks for the Nets with head coach Jordi Fernandez trying to develop him as soon as possible. Demin has been catching his stride with Brooklyn as of late, but he had arguably the biggest matchup of his young career as he was facing Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
"He's probably one of the [guys] I haven't played everybody yet, right? As of right now, it feels like he's probably one of the players that has the most gravity on him," Demin said of Curry following Monday's 120-107 loss to the Warriors. Demin had arguably his most difficult matchup of the season, but he held his own as he finished with 23 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 7-of-14 from behind the three-point line.
"We really paid attention to him, and he's a really good player, obviously. Some of those shots that wasn't even counted are pretty impressive," Demin continued. "For me, it was an honor to be on the court at the same time with him, for sure."
Demin, 19, had his work cut out for him with his assignment of defending Curry as the future Hall-of-Famer finished Monday's game with 27 points and five assists while shooting 8-of-15 from the field. Following Monday's loss, Demin is now averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 39.2% from the field and 36.5% from deep.
Not only did Demin hold his own against one of the best players in the history of the NBA in Curry, but he also just had the best month of his rookie career. In December, Demin averaged 11.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40.5% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range. Demin also finished the contest by setting the Nets franchise rookie record with a career-high seven 3-pointers made in the game.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin reflects on facing Steph Curry in loss to Warriors