Totally summer: how Russians spend the NBA preseason

The National Basketball Association (NBA) clubs hold Summer League matches in which young players and newcomers get a chance to prove themselves before the start of the new season. One of the main discoveries of the tournament was the Russian Egor Demin, who demonstrates high performance as part of Brooklyn. Other Russian basketball players, Vladislav Goldin and Viktor Lakhin, also leave a good impression. Vsevolod Ishchenko may join them in the coming days. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

Demin is ready for a big role in Brooklyn

Egor Demin, as a basketball player with a regular playing practice at the Brooklyn base, could refuse to participate in the Summer League and calmly prepare for the main NBA season. However, the Russian missed the end of last season due to an exacerbation of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. After almost four months of missing official matches, Egor missed the game and decided to help his club in the pre-season.

Therefore, it is expected that Demin is in the leading roles. In the first match, the 20-year-old point guard became the most productive player in the Nets (23 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes), receiving a separate post on the NBA account. However, his team lost to Sacramento in the end — the Kings won with a three-pointer from Nick Clifford five seconds before the end.

In the Nets' second, already victorious game against Golden State, Egor produced an even more impressive lineup: 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. He made 7 of 12 shots from the game.

"Anyone who has watched Brooklyn's matches this preseason can see the ease with which Egor moves across the floor,— RFB President Andrei Kirilenko told Izvestia. — I need to open it via flare — please: I'll step aside and drop the "three". If you have to quit at the end of your possession, I'll do it. We opened the left side, and I'll go through and show you that I finish well with my left hand. In two games, he scored 23 points each, fought on his shield, and provided assists whenever possible. There is even a feeling that Demin is trying to play as carefully as possible, avoiding unnecessary contact. Egor interacts well with the Nets' main point guard in the preseason, Ben Saraf. There is less ball in his hands, but more energy to create comfortable situations. Demin throws with more than 50% accuracy, which is very good for a player in his position. Two or three losses per match is a common indicator in such a game. It is clear that he has done a good job on himself after the injury.

Note that in the game against Golden State, Egor scored a dunk mill after an interception. This moment became the main highlight of the game day.

— The NBA likes to savor Egor's game, especially they flirt with the letter E, which has become a marketing ploy, — Andrey Kirilenko continued. — As for the "windmill" with a non-working right foot at the end of the game against the Warriors, this is an easy adventure. Such dunks were made in the early noughties by Desmond Mason, they look very impressive. We can already say that Egor is ready for the upcoming season. It is unclear how the Nets will enter the regular season, but it is obvious that Demin will be given the role of one of the first violins. There is still time ahead to maximize all your best sides.

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Goldin is a chance to gain a foothold in Miami

Vladislav Goldin, who made his NBA debut last season (he played nine games for Miami, but only once got more than five minutes in the game), is betting heavily on the 2026 Summer League.

"It all depends on me,— Goldin emphasized in an interview with Sport Express. — I hope to play in the Summer League so well that I can prove my ability to gain a foothold in the NBA and show the level I can there.

And so far, Goldin is fine. In the victorious opening game of the Summer League against San Antonio, Vlad scored 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one interception and two blocked shots. In addition, the Russian had the best utility score in the Hit squad. In the losing match against the Lakers, 25-year-old Goldin scored six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

— Vlad played for 30 minutes in his first game. In the second game, when there were two overtimes, Goldin received nine fouls. This is acceptable in the Summer League, but it shows that the NBA has slightly different speeds. Four blocked shots and six rebounds are the bread of the center, and fouls are bad," Andrei Kirilenko summed up.

The Utah legend also appreciated Goldin's chances of gaining a foothold in Miami.

—The Heat's game will obviously change after the arrival of Giannis Adetokunbo, which can significantly reduce Goldin's time if he is signed,— Kirilenko continued. — At the same time, a solid center with good defensive skills has never bothered anyone. With the two main big ones, Giannis and Bame Adebayo— it's a backup center like Vlad who will be useful. That's how Hassan Whiteside started in Miami before he got a $100 million contract.

Lakhin — The Kings' rebuilding opens up opportunities

Viktor Lakhin spent last season at the Oklahoma Farm Club in the G-League, and also played several matches in the Puerto Rican championship. In the 2026 Summer League, the Anapa native plays for Sacramento. The forward got the opportunity to prove himself in the winning match against Golden State. In 22 minutes, the 24-year-old scored 12 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals and four blocked shots. Victor made five of the seven shots from the game. In the second game against Milwaukee, Lakhin scored seven points and made two rebounds.

— The Sacramento style of play will be based on the "small" ones, so it's difficult for Vita to get the balls, he's still used to playing classic pick-n-rolls and opening the ball, — said Andrey Kirilenko. — At the same time, the Kings are currently undergoing a serious restructuring of the squad after Derozan's departure. I really want Lakhin to be given a chance to prove himself.

Vsevolod Ishchenko, who was selected at the 2026 NBA Draft at number 56, may make his debut in the Dallas Summer League in the coming days.

— You have to play in the summer leagues in any case, — Kirilenko believes. — This is an opportunity that the undrafted and second-round draft players lack. I remember playing at the Rocky Mountain Review camp in 2001. By the way, Rusty Larue from CSKA and Daniel Dickens from Ural Great were there. It would be great if one of our overseas guys could take the time to attend the All-Russian Minibasket festival in August, and I also have plans to visit the camp.

It should be recalled that 11 Russians have been selected in the draft throughout its history.