Two Russians will play in the NBA next season. The Brooklyn Nets selected 19-year-old Egor Demin with the number eight pick in the draft. No Russian basketball player has ever managed to rise that high. In addition, Vlad Goldin, though undrafted, received a two-way contract from the Miami Heat. There have been no Russian players in the NBA since 2018 – then Timofey Mozgov played his last game for the Brooklyn Nets. “Meduza” tells us at the expense of what Demin and Goldin managed to attract the attention of North American clubs and how they assess their chances to gain a foothold in new teams.
How the careers of Egor Demin and Vlad Goldin before the NBA developed
Egor Demin was born in the family of former Khimki player Vladimir Demin. Until the age of 15, he trained at the Moscow basketball academy “Trinta”, and after, in 2021, he sent a video with a cut of his games to European clubs and received an invitation from Real Madrid. The next few seasons, Demin played for the Spanish youth and junior teams, becoming a two-time Junior Euroleague winner.
After the 2023-2024 season, Demin decided to move to the United States and make his NCAA college league debut. For this move, the Brigham Young University (BYU) team paid Real Madrid a $1.5 million payoff. Egor Demin played in 33 games, averaging 27.5 minutes per game and averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. By comparison, No. 1 overall draft pick and new American basketball hope Cooper Flagg is averaging 19.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals.
In April 2025, Deming entered the draft. Experts predicted him to be selected only in the second ten, noting his poor shooting (only 27% three-point shooting), lack of athleticism and unstable play on defense. The basketball player’s rise to the top was helped by well conducted interviews and individual workouts with teams interested in him, as well as a successful draft combine, during which he made 16 three-pointers in 35 seconds.
Most players enter the North American league through the draft. This is a procedure for the 30 teams in the association to select young players. In 2025, 106 basketball players entered the draft, the lowest number in 10 years. Each team initially has two picks, but picks from different years, like other assets, can be traded. That’s why the Los Angeles Lakers had only one pick this year, and the Brooklyn Nets had five picks at once.
The order in which clubs select players depends on their regular season results. Low ranked teams have a better chance at high pick numbers, which are distributed by lottery. This rule was invented to better balance the league so that the strongest clubs have a harder time getting the most promising players.
For players, a high number at the draft is a certain credibility (which not everyone justifies), an opportunity to get into the emerging team and immediately get a lot of playing time, as well as a certain level of salary in the first contract. For comparison, the number one pick can expect to make 10 million dollars a year, and the eighth pick, under which Egor Demin was selected, can expect to make about six million.
But the draft isn’t the only way to get into the league. Even if a player is not selected under any of the 60 numbers, clubs can offer him a two-way contract (that’s what happened to Vlad Goldin). Under this contract, a player can play only 50 of 82 games in the NBA, and the rest of the season in the G-League.
Vlad Goldin is considerably older. He is 24 years old, and perhaps that is what prevented him from being selected in the draft. Goldin wrestled professionally until the age of 15, and decided to finally switch to basketball only after a growth spurt. He spent three seasons in the CSKA system, playing for the junior team. Next came a move to the United States and five seasons in the NCAA.
During that time, Goldin played for the Michigan Wolverines, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Florida Atlantic Owls. In his final season, he averaged 16.6 points per game, 7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Before the draft, experts projected Goldin to be a late fifth-round pick, but he ended up going undrafted. Nevertheless, the Miami Heat offered the Russian basketball player a two-way contract that gives him a chance to establish himself in the NBA.
Which Russians have played in the NBA before?
Before Egor Demin and Vlad Goldin, only ten Russians had played in the NBA. The first of them was Sergey Bazarevich – at the age of 29 he signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks, where he played 10 games in the 1994-1995 season. After that the basketball player went to Spanish “Caceres”, and later returned to Russia.
After Bazarevich, Andrei Kirilenko, Pavel Podkolzin, Yaroslav Korolev, Viktor Khryapa, Sergey Monya, Timofey Mozgov, Alexander Kaun, Alexey Shved and Sergey Karasev played in the NBA in different years. After Timofey Mozgov played his last game in 2018, there have been no Russians in the NBA for seven years.
Basketball players from Russian Federation have not been selected at the draft since 2013, when the Cleveland Cavaliers club selected Sergey Karasev. In addition, Egor Demin became the first Russian to make it into the top 10. Previously, the highest peak belonged to Yaroslav Korolev – he was picked twelfth by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005.
What are the chances for Russians to play for new teams?
“Brooklyn Nets” Egor Demin is now in the early stages of rebuilding. This is the perfect time for a young basketball player who needs to get more playing time. The last few years have been tough for the team: after five straight playoff appearances, the Nets have had two disappointing seasons with a modest 32 and 26 wins in 82 games.
The coming year is also unlikely to be a breakout year: the team just added young players plus the club will obviously want a high pick in the promising 2026 draft and will not be persistent in fighting for a roster spot.
Deming plays the point guard position and has an impressive height of 203.84 centimeters for that role. His college coach Kevin Young, BYU teammates and experts noted the Russian basketball player’s game intelligence, court vision and passing skills before the draft. However, Demin’s future in the NBA will depend on how he can add in problematic aspects. The player himself realizes this and is actively training. “Probably, many people expect me to hit the ring badly, because the statistics of my shots on the season were not the best. I want to prove them wrong,” says Demin.
Last season the Nets’ point guard position was occupied by DʼAngelo Russell, who went to the Dallas Mavericks after the draft. However, Deming still has some serious competition: 23-year-old Reece Beekman, who played backup point guard last season, remains on the team. In addition, the Nets also took Frenchman Nolan Traore, who plays a similar position, and Israeli playmaker Ben Saraf – the coach will obviously have a lot to choose from.
In Demin’s favor is that he is quite variable and can also play in the position of attacking defender or light forward. “I’ve been playing the point guard position all my life,” says the basketball player. – But I’m also willing to do whatever it takes to bring success to the team and make a positive impact on the game. So if the coach wants me to be a center, I’ll be a center, no problem.”
Before the draft, the Russian was compared to Chicago guard Josh Giddy (the same one who snatched a win from the Lakers with a siren shot from his own half) and Orlando’s Anthony Black. In addition to position, they are united by their ability to find partners with a pass, size and not the most confident shot. The first conclusions about how Demin will adapt to the new environment can be made on July 10 – in his debut Summer League game against the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Vlad Goldin signed with the Miami Heat not a rookie contract like the first 30 players of the draft, but a two-way contract. This is a kind of probationary period. Besides the salary (which is much lower) and the length of the contract (one season), the difference is that if the basketball player and the club don’t fit together, the player can either be transferred to the G-League altogether or simply expelled.
Goldin plays center, and he has everything a basketball player needs at that position: 2.13 meters tall, 2.27 meters arm span and 110 kilograms of weight, which he uses confidently thanks to his wrestling experience. The Russian plays well on the boards and shows good execution after screens. On the downside, Vlad lacks speed, a solid mid-range shot and rebounding skills.
“The Miami Heat are known for their culture and ability to develop young players, but it’s not entirely clear how the club sees their future right now. But even if Goldin doesn’t make it under coach Erik Spoelstra, he may have other options, as several NBA clubs are now looking for a good center. The most obvious option is the Lakers, who traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic and still haven’t locked up the position.
How Goldin adapts in Miami will also be seen in Summer League. But even before that, the Russian’s new team will face the California Classic preliminary tournament. The first game against the San Antonio Spurs is July 5 at 22:30 Moscow time.
