Brooklyn Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. is tending to an ankle sprain as the team opens training camp on Tuesday. General Manager Sean Marks told reporters Monday that Brown rolled his ankle last week but isn't expected to miss “considerable time.”
Meanwhile, second-year point guard Nolan Traore is not expected to miss any practices after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason. Two-way forward Grant Nelson is also ready for camp after offseason knee surgery.
“Physically, those guys are ready for camp. Nolan will be ramped up a little bit through camp, but I don't see him missing any days,” Marks said at Nets media day. “Grant is the same way. Grant has been full go now, which is great to see. I've got to give credit to the performance team for his development outside of the court. The only other injury we really have is Mikel. He rolled his ankle last week, so he'll be ramped up throughout camp, and we'll see where it goes. But we don't expect him to miss considerable time at all.”
Brown was not in a walking boot and did not have a limp on Monday. The No. 6 pick said his recovery has progressed well and he's already back on the court.
“I'm doing everything possible to get back on the floor,” Brown said. “And I am back on the floor. [I've been] shooting and moving around a little bit. It's coming along well. My progress is very fast. I mean, we're just attacking it. We're attacking the rehab and taking it one day at a time.”
Brown will have another three-plus weeks to recover before the Nets' regular-season opener on Oct. 21.
Mikel Brown Jr. tending to ankle sprain as Nets open training camp
Meanwhile, while Marks said Traore will be ramped up during camp, the French floor general said his knee is 100 percent.
Article Continues Below“My knee is completely fine now. I'm fully cleared, so there's no concern about it,” Traore said.
Brown and Traore are expected to play critical roles as the Nets' projected starting and backup point guards. The former enters his rookie campaign as the Nets' highest draft pick of the Brooklyn era.
Brown showed star flashes while battling a back injury during his freshman season at Louisville. He performed well at Summer League during his first game action following a four-and-a-half-month layoff, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals across four appearances in Las Vegas.
Like all of the Nets' rookies outside of Egor Demin, Traore struggled from an efficiency standpoint last season. However, he mixed in some promising performances. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 8.9 points on .380/.318/.787 shooting splits with 3.8 assists and 2.1 turnovers (1.65 assist-to-turnover ratio) in 22.2 minutes per game across 56 appearances (31 starts).
If Brown gets the starting nod, Traore will compete with fellow sophomore Ben Saraf for Brooklyn's backup point guard minutes. Brooklyn also has veteran guard Terance Mann as a potential option. Mann spent brief stretches playing point guard last season alongside Egor Demin in the Nets' backcourt.
The Nets will have a week of practice before opening their preseason on the road against the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 6. They'll then have three more preseason matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Miami Heat before opening the regular season at Barclays Center against the Hornets on Oct. 21.