Brooklyn Nets fans hoping to see Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin play their first extended minutes together on Wednesday will have to wait. While Demin is expected to return from a six-game absence vs. the New Orleans Pelicans, Brown was ruled out due to an illness.
Brown missed the Nets' 130-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday because he is not yet cleared for back-to-backs. While Brooklyn fans have been eager to see Brown and Demin — the team's first lottery selections of the Brooklyn era — play together, the back-to-back top-10 picks have barely shared the floor 10 games into the season.
Demin and Brown played four minutes together during the Nets' second game of the season, a 125-121 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beyond that, they did not play together in any of the first four games of the season before Demin sustained a bone bruise in his right leg.
That looked like it would change on Wednesday, as sophomore point guard Nolan Traore popped up on Brooklyn's injury report. The French floor general, who has started the Nets' last seven games, is questionable due to right calf soreness.
It remains to be seen whether Demin and Brown will share the court more once both are healthy. Demin will likely rejoin the Nets' starting lineup. Meanwhile, Brown has not yet started a game with the Nets due to a minutes restriction that has also kept him out of back-to-backs.
When will Nets top-10 picks Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin play together?
Brown has averaged 12.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 turnovers on 34.6 percent shooting from the field and 31.1 percent from three across his first seven NBA games. The Louisville product has delivered two of his best performances of the season in his last two appearances. He averaged 18.0 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 11-of-24 from the field, 6-of-13 from three and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line in 22.5 minutes across Brooklyn's win over the Charlotte Hornets and loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Brown has been the Nets' top clutch performer early this season. The rookie point guard has posted 16 points in 13 clutch minutes while converting 4-of-8 three-point attempts.
Meanwhile, Demin has struggled to start the year. The 2025 No. 8 pick averaged 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers on 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) shooting from the field and 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from three across his first three appearances. He posted two points on 1-of-3 shooting, with one rebound, two assists, and one turnover in 10 minutes before exiting against Boston.
Article Continues BelowIf Brown and Traore are both sidelined vs. the Pelicans, Demin could return to a starting point guard role. The Russian guard started the first three games of the season at point guard with Keon Ellis at shooting guard. Brooklyn struggled with that lineup construction, averaging 111.0 points but shooting 41.7 percent from the field and turning the ball over 18.7 times per game.
Danny Wolf has started the Nets' last two games at shooting guard alongside Traore. Wolf's added ball-handling and passing alongside Demin, compared to Ellis' more limited offensive skill set, could help curb some of those struggles.
The Nets' back-to-back losses against the Hawks and Mavericks dropped them to 2-8. Jordi Fernandez's squad ranks 28th on offense (105.6 rating), 23rd on defense (114.8 rating) and 25th in net rating (-9.1) during a 2-8 start.
Wednesday's Pelicans matchup could be a get-right game for Brooklyn. New Orleans has lost its last three games following a four-game winning streak.