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Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin was once upon a time preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft as he was hoping to make his best case for playing at the next level. Brooklyn selected Demin with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft and one of his teammates, BYU center Keba Keita, is hoping to make a name for himself as he prepares for the 2026 NBA Draft.
"Though his teammate AJ Dybantsa has garnered more of the headlines, as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Keita has consistently impressed NBA teams throughout the predraft process," Sarah Todd wrote of Keita Deseret News. Keita isn't as highly-regarded as Demin was, but that isn't stopping him from making an impression and boosting his draft stock.
"'Keba is on the rise,' his agent, Keith Kreiter, said. 'He’s been outplaying bigs who are projected to go in the first round. His physicality and ability to guard one through five makes him a no-brainer for the mid-to-late second round,'" Todd continued. Todd also noted in her piece on Keita that he has already worked out for the Nets, meaning that there could be some interest there for him in either the second round or as an undrafted free-agent.
Keita is coming off a decent senior season for the Cougars this past season as he averaged 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 68.0% from the field and 55.2% from the free-throw line. While playing alongside presumptive No. 1 pick in forward AJ Dybantsa, Keita was able to show his ability to be the kind of big that can score efficiently around the rim while also being able to offer rim protection.
Part of the reason that Keita is projected to go undrafted is due to his less-than-ideal size (6-foot-7, 230 pounds) for an NBA center, but he is hoping that his intangibles can make up for that. "He caught the eye of a number of scouts and executives at the G League Elite Camp in Chicago — part of the NBA combine — and he’s been praised in workouts for his athleticism and his finesse when it comes to touch and feel around the rim," Todd wrote on how scouts have viewed Keita throughout this process.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin's BYU teammate Keba Keita prepping for 2026 NBA Draft
Continue reading...
"Though his teammate AJ Dybantsa has garnered more of the headlines, as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Keita has consistently impressed NBA teams throughout the predraft process," Sarah Todd wrote of Keita Deseret News. Keita isn't as highly-regarded as Demin was, but that isn't stopping him from making an impression and boosting his draft stock.
"'Keba is on the rise,' his agent, Keith Kreiter, said. 'He’s been outplaying bigs who are projected to go in the first round. His physicality and ability to guard one through five makes him a no-brainer for the mid-to-late second round,'" Todd continued. Todd also noted in her piece on Keita that he has already worked out for the Nets, meaning that there could be some interest there for him in either the second round or as an undrafted free-agent.
Keita is coming off a decent senior season for the Cougars this past season as he averaged 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 68.0% from the field and 55.2% from the free-throw line. While playing alongside presumptive No. 1 pick in forward AJ Dybantsa, Keita was able to show his ability to be the kind of big that can score efficiently around the rim while also being able to offer rim protection.
Part of the reason that Keita is projected to go undrafted is due to his less-than-ideal size (6-foot-7, 230 pounds) for an NBA center, but he is hoping that his intangibles can make up for that. "He caught the eye of a number of scouts and executives at the G League Elite Camp in Chicago — part of the NBA combine — and he’s been praised in workouts for his athleticism and his finesse when it comes to touch and feel around the rim," Todd wrote on how scouts have viewed Keita throughout this process.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Egor Demin's BYU teammate Keba Keita prepping for 2026 NBA Draft
Continue reading...
