Even though the Orlando Magic fell to a .500 record this past season due to injuries, it's still very clear that they're on a path to contention in the Eastern Conference, and they may very well finish with one of the best records in the East next season. But as they move forward under President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman, they're going to want to be careful with their process and avoid selecting one specific player in the upcoming NBA Draft: Egor Demin.
A 6-foot-9 wing hailing from Moscow, Russia, Demin is an interesting prospect due to his unique strengths. He's an extremely talented playmaker that employs a very smart brand of basketball. He so often makes the right play while also bringing to the court speed and quickness that only serve to enhance his passing ability.
Demin has the makings of a very special playmaker in this league. However, At the end of the day, he's more of a long-term play in the sense that he's a prospect and not a league-ready player right now. Additionally, his weaknesses play directly into what the Orlando Magic do not need right now.
Demin may be one of the most skilled passers in this class, and his potential ceiling is high. At the same time, he is not a reliable scorer from an overall standpoint. He registered just one outing of 20 points or higher in his freshman season at Brigham Young University.
Demin's skillset is not what this Magic roster needs
He also doesn't project as a consistently good three-point shooter. Demin made just 27% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season, and things won't get any easier as he adjusts to the NBA three-point line.
The Magic already have several players who we would say are less than elite scores and shot creators. Adding Demin to that mix would only make the team's shooting troubles that much worse.
In case you'd forgotten, Orlando finished the 2024-25 NBA season dead last in the association in both total three-pointers made as well as three-point percentage. Drafting the likes of Demin would only make the Magic's bad floor spacing that much worse.
Until the Orlando Magic makes significant improvements when it comes to their ability to generate offense, they will continue to have a limited ceiling. Egor Demin is certainly a talented player, but he's the type of guy this front office is going to have to avoid in the upcoming draft.