Brooklyn Nets fans had little reason to get out of their seats during Wednesday's 110-103 season-opening loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The few moments of electricity in the building came courtesy of No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr.
Brown put together a modest stat line during the loss, scoring six points on 2-of-8 shooting with three assists and one turnover. However, he showed flashes of stardom during his limited minutes.
The 20-year-old's first bucket was an and-one layup that saw him elevate far above the rim. He drained a deep three on an ensuing possession before nearly putting Naz Reid on a poster shortly after. Brown also showed impressive playmaking flashes, including a wraparound dime for a Julius Randle three off a drive.
“Man, I can’t even put it into words. It’s great,” the rookie said of making his NBA debut. “At the end of the day, I still wanted to win. That’s the biggest thing when it comes to that stuff. But I was excited to be out there.”
Mikel Brown Jr. vs. Charlotte Hornets 10/21/2026
6 PTS | 2-8 FG | L 103-110 pic.twitter.com/LOEEG1Xzko
— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) October 22, 2026
Where does Brown think he can improve following his debut?
“Really just got to slow down, pick my spots better. I’ve been talking to Julius [Randle] about it, just trying to slow down. Everything I want is there. It’s just all about me being patient,” he said. “And on the defensive end, just keeping that same mentality of not letting the guards touch the paint. There’s a lot of things that I can clean up. But it’s Game 1. We’re going to get better.”
While Brown was inefficient as a scorer on Wednesday, his explosiveness and ability to attack the rim stood in stark contrast to Brooklyn's other young guards.
Mikel Brown Jr. shows intriguing flashes during Nets debut
The Nets' starting backcourt, Egor Demin and Keon Ellis, couldn't consistently penetrate the paint. Demin struggled during the loss, finishing with four points, two assists and three turnovers on 2-of-10 shooting.
Brown played only 20 minutes while on a limit, none of which came alongside Demin. However, the rookie point guard's downhill juice could go a long way to unlock Demin's skill set as the season progresses.
“[Mikel was] good. He's still got to get used to the physicality of the game, the pace of play,” Jordi Fernandez said. “I still want him to touch the paint. He's very electric. He gets his spots, but right now the size that is at the rim… A lot of times you either [have to] go finish or you have to play off two feet and spray [to shooters]. So it's pretty good because he can do it. He showed some good things, and now defensively, he's got to keep learning and see how he guards and [fits into] the schemes and so forth. So a lot of positive things, but same as the other guys, we're going to watch film and get better.”
Brown will remain on a minutes limit to open the year after missing most of the preseason with an ankle injury. The Nets guard missed the second half of his freshman season at Louisville with a back injury. Fernandez said the rookie won't start until his limit rises to 24 minutes.
“The reality is when you get drafted, it's a very tough summer. You do all these workouts right into Summer League. You almost don't have a break, and then you go into training camp,” Fernandez said when asked about the decision. “And that's why we always say the most important summer is that next summer, because you can work the whole way through and focus on your body… And then I think you're more equipped, plus you have the experience under your belt. But that first summer, you just throw them into the fire. So we just want to be careful. And one of the reasons why Mikel is in that minutes restriction is because we have to be careful with him and not get too excited. And I think that's the right thing to do for him and for the team.”