Mikel Brown Jr. will come off the bench with a minutes restriction when the Brooklyn Nets open the regular season on Wednesday. After missing the start of training camp with an ankle sprain, the rookie guard made his NBA debut during the Nets' preseason finale, playing 18 minutes off the bench.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez said Brown will need to ramp up his minutes before he can join the starting lineup.

“Our number one priority is Mikel's health and building him the right way,” Fernandez said. “If you play less than 24 minutes, it’s hard to start because it's hard to finish [the game] with that player. We’re not there yet [with Mikel]. I need him to build the right way and impact the game. And as you're building and coming off the bench, I still have the luxury to finish games with him if I need to. And that's the type of team that we have here. We have a team where whoever is playing well that game will have a chance to finish and help us win.”

Mikel Brown Jr. will remain on a minutes limit on opening night, per Jordi Fernandez. That limit will need to increase above 24 minutes before the rookie can start:

“If you play less than 24 minutes, it’s hard to start… We’re not there yet [with Mikel]. I need him to build the… pic.twitter.com/awWIj6lSKK

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 16, 2026

Brown injured his ankle during the week leading up to Nets training camp. He missed Brooklyn's first three preseason games before turning in an encouraging performance during Wednesday's preseason finale, a 144-128 loss to the Miami Heat.

Brown is expected to join Egor Demin as a starter at some point, forming Brooklyn's future backcourt. However, he said he'll fill whatever role he's asked to early in his rookie season.

“If I come off the bench or I start, it’s still going to be me regardless,” Brown said. “I don’t look at that stuff. If I start, I start. If I come off the bench, I come off the bench. Just continue to do what I do.”

Mikel Brown Jr. on starting vs. coming off the bench:

“If I come off the bench or I start, it’s still going to be me regardless. I don’t look at that stuff. If I start, I start. If I come off the bench, I come off the bench. Just continue to do what I do.” pic.twitter.com/2oKiCDJfgu

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 16, 2026

Brown looked like an NBA starter during his Nets preseason debut.

Mikel Brown Jr. to open rookie season on minutes restriction after ankle injury

Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (2) looks to pass the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Facing an aggressive Heat defense, the 20-year-old scored 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting with three assists, two steals and one turnover. He flashed the ball-handling, shotmaking and fluid athleticism that drew the Nets to him with the No. 6 pick in June's draft.

“It's a preseason game, but his game translates right away offensively,” Fernandez said. “There's going to be things that he'll have to adjust as far as being a voice out there and sustaining production. And then the challenge is the physicality defensively and the intensity of the game. He has to be a player that plays at a high level on both ends. He's shown he can do it. He did a great job in summer league, did a great job the other day, and now the regular season starts. Building him up the right way is very important for us. We want to protect him from himself, because as you guys know, players just want to play and want to play a lot of minutes. But we're very happy where he is right now. He's been outstanding with his work ethic and his day-to-day.”

Article Continues Below

Brown played alongside sophomore point guard Nolan Traore on Wednesday. While both players are billed as primary ball-handlers, Brown feels all of Brooklyn's young guards are comfortable playing alongside one another.

“It doesn't change anything. I think we're all positionless,” he said. “Either way, we have both playmakers on the floor. Whether it's me and Egor, me and Nolan, me and Ben [Saraf], all the guards. We're all playmakers at the end of the day. So we can play off the ball, get it in the halfcourt and make something happen. Just be ourselves with whatever lineup we have out there.”

Fernandez said Brown can thrive on or off the ball.

“Mikel is a basketball player. I don't see a lot of position in a lot of these guys because they can do everything,” Fernandez said. “[Mikel] can shoot the ball. He can come off screens. He can be a primary ball handler. Right now, I'm trying to see how he impacts the game in different ways. I believe he can do it regardless. I think he can play alongside all those guys because of his talent.”