No word yet on whether Mikel Brown Jr. will make his preseason debut Monday night in Washington vs. the Wizards and overall No. 1 pick, A.J. Dybantsa. A lot presumably will depend on how he does during practice on Sunday afternoon at HSS Training Center.
Last we heard from Brian Lewis at the Nets Fan Fest last Sunday, the No. 6 pick had been undergoing contact drills with the team’s coaching staff, having rolled his left ankle during workouts prior to the start of training camp. If he doesn’t play
Monday, then it’s likely he and fans will have to wait till the final preseason game Wednesday in Miami vs. the new-look Heat.
The wait has been excruciating for fans anxious to see how the 20-year-old will perform, particularly when paired next to Egor Demin. In his first two preseason contests — both wins — Demin has looked like a different player and he didn’t look bad either during last season or Summer League. Fans see the two, the highest Nets back-to- back picks in 30 years, as the backcourt of the future. Brown Jr. and Demin do, too, each calling the other his “brother.”
In the meantime, fans have had rely on what others are saying about MBJ, starting with the man who picked him back in June, GM Sean Marks. Marks told Sirius/XM recently Brown Jr. has been acting more like a veteran rather than a rookie, organizing team dinners, taking teammates under his wing and emerging as a vocal leader on and off the court:
“He doesn’t act like a rookie. He has a presence about him that you’d say, he’s kind of been there, done that before. Took guys to dinner, took guys under his wing. He’s a vocal leader,” said Mark describing his “swagger“
”He shares the ball, very encouraging teammate… He wanted the best for others, and that really resonated within the locker room.”
Julius Randle, the team’s veteran leader with 13 years experience and it’s most accomplished player, agrees. He also thinks the Louisville product is the real deal.
“Usually when you’re a young player, you want to try to get a basket every single time, but he’s coming off a pick and roll and really understands how to read and play the game,” Randle said.
None of this is that much of a surprise to two people who have mentored him, his father Chris Brown Sr. and Bootsy Thornton, a shooting guard who played for St. John’s and coached Brown Jr. in Orlando. C.J. Holmes of the Daily News spoke to both in recent days.
Dad told Holmes what Mikel’s day entails.
The days have filled up quickly. Since Summer League, Chris said, Mikel’s alarm has gone off at 6:30 a.m. He reaches the facility around 7:30 and works with the team through early afternoon. Then comes the lifting, recovery and a massage. Most evenings, he returns to shoot around 7 p.m. and finishes close to 10 p.m.
Some of the work is learning the people who will share the court with him. Chris said his son studies his teammates’ tendencies and the shots they are trying to add. Mikel watches film with the coaches every day, sometimes going through the same material several times so he can carry it into the next practice.
“It’s one thing to make the NBA, it’s another thing to stick in the NBA,” Chris Brown Sr. said.
Thornton thinks that in the Nets system, with its emphasis on versatility and quick decision-making, Brown Jr. is a point guard but one who doesn’t shy away from the big shot.
“I envision him as a point guard, to be honest with you,” Thornton told Holmes. “He’s a point guard who can score.”
Thornton also said that he expects Brown Jr. will help the Nets immediately with his scoring and passing, adding that he’ll rack up so-called hockey assists, making the pass that leads to the pass that sets up the score.
One issue that the team and Brown Jr.’s recognize is that Brown’s slight frame is likely to make him a target for opponents. Indeed, Chris Brown Sr. told Holmes said the Nets have focused on Mikel’s base and core, building the foundation that will help him absorb contact and keep his balance through a drive.
Personally, Brown Jr. admits he has to be more patient, as he told Holmes.
At Louisville, defenders could sit in the paint and crowd his drives. The space in Summer League caught his attention. So did the touches he spoiled by rushing into it. Brown recalled getting stuck on drives, playing off one foot and making the wrong decision. He’s since worked on finding his spots and stopping on two feet, bringing his body under control before deciding where the ball should go.
“I just got to really slow down,” Brown added. That won’t affect his mindset, Brown Jr. advised.
“That swagger is going to stay regardless. And I’m a high-risk, high-reward guy. Obviously I know sometimes it’s better to hit the single and that’s what I’ve been talking to my coaches about, and I’ve gotten better at that.”
The Nets, as an organization, have embraced that swagger, producing a six-minute video of him at Media Day.
“I ain’t no model. I am a basketball player,” he’s quoted as saying. “I take the orange ball and put it in the orange hoop.”
Nets fans hope to see that soon.
