Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. is coming into his first NBA season with a significant amount of hype after his promising freshman season at the University of Louisville. Brooklyn selected Brown with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after he proved that his back issues were behind him so what can be expected from the young guard?
"Brown, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard from Louisville, will be bringing more than his physical skills to the Nets’ young core," Steve Aschburner wrote on Brown for NBA.com. With training camp less than two weeks away, Brown has the chance to compete for the starting point guard spot along with players like Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, two players from Brooklyn's 2025 draft class.
"He got some
master-class tutoring from former NBA All-Star Rajon Rondo, a Louisville native. 'I was fortunate enough to have him as a mentor,' Brown Jr. said," Aschburner continued. "'He invited me to his crib, and we watched some film together, played a little bit of chess. … I got to pick his brain a lot.' Top lesson? 'Make the simple play.' Brooklyn needs that from Brown to improve on its total of 20 victories last season."
Brown, 20, is coming off a freshman season with the Cardinals where he averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.0% from the field and 34.4% from behind the three-point line. After being drafted, Brown went on to show why the Nets chose him as he put up 15.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 38.8% from the floor and 34.6% from deep in Brooklyn's summer circuit.
With forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle in the fold, someone like Brown will be tasked with running the offense while he grows as a scorer to pair with his passing. It remains to be seen if Brown is able to earn the starting point guard job under head coach Jordi Fernandez, but even if he doesn't, the rookie should get plenty of runway to show what he can do at the NBA level.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: What can the Nets expect to see from Mikel Brown Jr. this NBA season?
