5. Charlotte Hornets - Egor Demin, F, BYU
The growing pains continue to stack up for the Charlotte Hornets as they still don't have the overwhelming talent to allow them to take a significant step forward in the Eastern Conference. This season has been all bad, especially considering the strides that their young players (such as Brandon Miller) continue to make. There still may be questions about this team's future but they do have a talented group of young players that you'd have to imagine is eventually going to be able to click as a unit.
As we inch closer to the 2025 NBA Draft season, it's only natural to begin to think about the possibilities that could await the Hornets. With a projected top-5 pick, there are several different prospects that they could already be getting excited about. If I had to guess, I'd imagine identifying a talented wing player could be high on their priority list at this year's NBA Draft. One prospect who could make some sense for where the Hornets may be building is BYU freshman Egor Demin.
Why Egor Demin makes sense for the Hornets
The argument could be made that there hasn't been a prospect that has come somewhat out of nowhere this college basketball season more than Egor Demin. It wasn't that he wasn't considered a good player to start the year; it's that he's made such waves across the college basketball world that he's quickly rising up NBA Draft boards. Averaging 13 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game, Demin is going to be viewed as one of the more versatile and well-rounded players taken outside of the top 3.
There are some intriguing NBA comparisons that have already been made for Demin but I don't think it's fair until we see him gain more collegiate experience to realistically talk about them. However, there's no question that he does possess a fascinating offensive skill set that teams in the NBA are going to fall in love with. The big concerns for me when it comes to Demin revolve around whether he can prove to be a good enough defender and if he can be as dynamic against NBA size, speed, and defenses.