SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin made a 3-pointer in an NBA rookie-record 34th straight game on Friday night against the Utah Jazz.
Demin set the record on the first basket for the Nets. He was 3 for 5 from long distance in the first quarter, scoring 11 points.
Demin entered Friday’s game tied with Portland’s Rudy Fernandez (2008-09) and Philadelphia’s Landry Shamet (2018-19).
Drafted 8th overall out of BYU last year, Demin entered Friday’s game with 98 3-pointers this season, ranking second behind Charlotte’s Kon Kneuppel among NBA rookies. He has made the second-most 3s through 40 career games in NBA history, trailing only Kneuppel, and has shot 39.7% from long distance in that stretch.
Extra hours spent on refining his shooting helped him become a reliable perimeter threat.
“Shooting the ball,” Demin said ahead of Friday’s game against the Jazz. “As simple as it is, just being in the gym and shooting the ball.”
The milestone represents a major leap forward from Demin’s one season at BYU where he shot just 27.3% from the perimeter. While Demin struggled to find his shot at times while playing in Provo, he credited BYU coach Kevin Young with helping him find success as a rookie.
“He’s an NBA coach, so he taught me — in this one year — basically whatever I have to know to be able to play at the NBA level,” Demin said. “He gave us a lot of knowledge so that I come here and I’m ready to play and I know what we’re doing and I have an idea of what it is. He gave me this base of an NBA player to be able to come here and know what’s going on around me.”
Demin has another record withing reach. He has made the second-most 3s for a rookie in Nets’ history, trailing only Kerry Kittles’ 158 3-pointers in the 1996-97 season.
This season, Demin has set Nets rookie records for the most 3-pointers in a game (seven) and most games with five or more 3s (six).
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