Mikel Brown Jr. is expected to make his Brooklyn Nets debut during the team's preseason finale on Wednesday vs. the Miami Heat, first reported by the New York Post's Brian Lewis and confirmed by ClutchPoints. After joining the Nets as the No. 6 pick in June's draft, Brown was sidelined for the start of training camp with a left ankle sprain.
The rookie point guard will miss Brooklyn's third preseason game on Monday vs. the Washington Wizards. However, he's been a full participant in practice in recent days and, barring a setback, will take the court on Wednesday.
“I'm just really learning the concepts and what our coaching staff wants us to do,” Brown said when asked about his focus while limited early in training camp. “I already got an introduction to it in Summer League, so I'm kind of already familiar with some of it. So really being a sponge when it comes to that stuff and asking a lot of questions, just being vocal and being engaged… Taking a deeper dive into film, really just going back and watching the practices, watching the install. Just trying to make it second nature to me so when I come out on the court, when I get back to playing, I'm already knowing what I need to do.”
Brown represents the Nets' highest draft pick of the Brooklyn era. He'll shoulder heavy expectations as he joins 2025 lottery pick Egor Demin to form the team's backcourt of the future.
The 6-foot-4 guard appeared in only 19 games during his freshman season at Louisville while battling a back injury. However, he flashed star potential when available.
Mikel Brown Jr. stepping into lead role for rebuilding Nets during rookie campaign
Brown continued to impress at Summer League, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 21.7 minutes per game across four appearances. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez is bullish on what Brown and Demin can offer as a pairing.
“The ability for both of them to shoot, the ability to create, and their positional size [stands out],” Fernandez said at Media Day. “I also can see the different timelines. It's almost like Egor has already gone through that first year. Mikel is going through [that now]. I can see them building this relationship and trust, where one can help the other… I think that it's important for us that guys have to build that trust and relationship. If they have a great relationship as friends, that's great, but more so it's about building that trust on the court within the group, so when things get tough on the court, we can overcome those situations.
Article Continues BelowAnd I think these guys, at their age, will be very exciting to watch. You guys will see how they can complement each other. But until we see it on the court, we're not going to be able to make the adjustments and [implement] what we work on in those things. But they definitely have been brought here for a reason, the same as everybody else.”
Demin also missed Brooklyn's first three preseason games as a rookie while tending to a plantar fascia tear. The No. 8 pick came off the bench for the Nets' first eight regular-season games before joining the starting lineup.
Brown could experience a similar return-to-play progression to start his rookie campaign. Free agent signing Keon Ellis has started alongside Demin in Brooklyn's backcourt during the team's first three preseason games.
The Nets will open the regular season at home on Oct. 21 vs. the Charlotte Hornets.