After more than a week of speculation about Egor Demin's future basketball plans, the Russian freshman has officially made his decision.
"I will be putting my name in the 2025 NBA Draft," Demin announced to the media on Tuesday morning. "It's another challenge that I am willing to take, and I'm not scared of any troubles that I could meet in this path."
After BYU's Sweet 16 loss to Alabama on March 27, Demin made some statements that left BYU fans hopeful that a return to Provo could be in play.
"AJ [Dybantsa] is coming and he could be one of the reasons I want to come back next year," Demin said.
While a trio of Demin, Dybantsa, and Richie Saunders would have been one of the best cores in college basketball next season, the reality of playing in the NBA was ultimately too good of a chance to pass up.
"It was a long time thinking about it," Demin said. "A lot of prayers and talking to my family ... it was a couple days ago when I decided what I was doing."
When asked about how Demin will fare in the NBA, BYUcoach, Kevin Young, cited Demin's "feel of the game and passing," as why Demin can succeed. Young also noted that the spacing of the NBA game compared to college will be beneficial for the future lottery pick.
"Demin is the Three-Eyed Raven of this draft," J. Kyle Mann, basketball analyst at The Ringer, wrote. "He sees everything at all times. He is the most talented all-around passer in the draft, spotting cutters and weakside looks from 3 that others simply do not."
Demin's next step in the draft process will be participating in the NBA Draft combine, which will be held from May 11-18 in Chicago, Ill.
The NBA Draft lottery will be held on May 12, and the Draft will be held on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Demin will be the first BYU player to be drafted since 2011, when Jimmer Fredette was selected 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Sacramento Kings on draft night.