The Brooklyn Nets got a bit of a reality check on Saturday night. After cruising past the Knicks on Friday, the Nets dropped lost 83-76 to the Atlanta Hawks on a night where the main attractions — Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin — rested on the second night of a back-to-back.
But tonight, the young cornerstones are expected to return to the marquee.
Brooklyn shifts its focus to an evening showdown against the Sacramento Kings (1-1) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tuesday brings forth another summer subplot
we missed in Sacramento: a clash between the No. 6 and No. 7 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
📺 Watch: YES!
- Who: Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings
- When: 6:00 PM ET
- Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
- TV/Stream: YES Network, Prime Video
🏀 The Game: Battle of the Backcourts
With Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin watching from the bench on Saturday, Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley handed the keys over to Ben Saraf and Drake Powell. The backcourt had its growing pains — Saraf dropped 15 points but shot only 4-of-14 from the floor in 32 minutes. Powell shot 0-for-4 in 24 minutes played.
“I’ve been working with my coaches on my shot,” said Powell. “They’re not going in right now. But I’m going to continue to put them up and have full confidence that they’ll go in… Some nights are obviously hard when I’m by myself in the hotel room. But just been [having] constant conversations with my circle and continuing to trust them and my coaches.”
Back to Brown Jr. and Dëmin.
Of course, Stephen A. Smith screamed “BOX OFFICE!” at cameras the day after Brooklyn selected Mikel Brown Jr., and proceeded to mention how they should be the next team to be part of expansion. Darius Acuff Jr. could have a great career and we’d be thrilled! But the focus in Brooklyn is all on Brown Jr., no matter how much hype has been around this matchup.
It doesn’t need to be anything more or less than that. Keep an eye on how these two young floor generals attempt to set the tone early.
📈 Big Men, Big Impressions
Although it’s lottery guards who have generated the headlines, Saturday’s loss to Atlanta spotlighted two guys in the frontcourt who came to play.
- Chaney Johnson: The two-way forward was everywhere once again, racking up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and a whopping 5 steals. He’s currently averaging 15 points and nine rebounds in Las Vegas Summer League, pushing the issue with high-energy on both ends of the floor.
- Danny Wolf: The second-year big led the scoring effort alongside Johnson, putting up 20 points of his own on an efficient 9-of-16 shooting.
Meanwhile, forward Joshua Jefferson made his highly anticipated Summer League debut on Saturday. The aggression was there, but so was the rust. He shot 1-of-8 from the field to go along with two turnovers in nine minutes.
🕒 Load Management
If you’re wondering why you didn’t see Brown Jr. or Dëmin in the box score on Saturday, it simply isn’t worth overthinking. It’s Summer League, and for the Nets, the priority is balancing development with keeping the franchise cornerstones in one piece. That’s not mentioning they’re playing extra basketball — only seven franchises (eight total teams) play in the California Classic before heading over the Vegas.
When asked about the decision to sit the duo against Atlanta, Summer League head coach Dutch Gaitley was open about the strategy:
“It’s a back-to-back, and with these summer league schedules, you have to be smart with the high-minute guys. We wanted to protect Egor and Mikel, but it also gave us a really valuable opportunity to evaluate guys like Ben [Saraf] and Drake [Powell] in primary initiating roles. The goal is absolutely to have our starting backcourt back out there on Tuesday against Sacramento.”
It’s the right move. Long-term evaluation is the name of the game here. Minutes need to be earned by others, and Saturday gave the staff another look at what Saraf and Powell can (or can’t) do when they’re forced to take the reins.
Make no mistake, the main act returns tonight. But this is all exhibition, the Nets are not going to do anything that might jeopardize their future, particularly in back-to-backs
Welcome to New York, Keon!
Did you think you’d wake up today and think about New York real estate? If your answer is no then you’re probably having a less stressful day than Keon Ellis. Like most who move to New York, Ellis discussed what it’s like looking for a place.
Tip-off is at 6:00 PM ET. Join the Game Thread at 5:30.
- Nets ‘beast’ making strong case for expanded NBA role with Summer League performance – ClutchPoints
- Nets showing off draft lottery combo they hope will be the future – NY Post
- Julius Randle, Keon Ellis give Nets two different guides for a young roster – New York Daily News
