Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. made his NBA preseason debut in Wednesday's 144-128 finale loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat after missing the first three games due to a left ankle injury. Brooklyn has been trying to be patient with Brown as he recovers from his injury and now that he was able to play, head coach Jordi Fernandez gave his thoughts on the rookie.
"Just his pace and how he moves out there, he looked great. It’s just the first few minutes, so he’s going to continue to get better and build from there," Fernandez said of Brown following Wednesday's loss to the Heat in the preseason finale, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Brown came into the game on a minutes restriction and while he played just 18 minutes, the rookie
still dropped 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
"I love his communication, how engaged he was with his teammates. I thought it was a very well-played 18 minutes for him," Fernandez continued. Even with Brown being available to play for the first time this preseason, Fernandez still went with the starting lineup of Egor Demin, Keon Ellis, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle, and Day'Ron Sharpe against the Antetokounmpo-led Heat.
Miami did not have center Bam Adebayo available as he continues to deal with a groin injury, but the rest of the Heat's projected starting five was available. It seems that Demin, Porter, Randle, and Sharpe will be in the starting lineup when the regular season begins next week in their home opener against the Charlotte Hornets, but it will be interesting to see if Brown can make his way into the starting five before next week.
Despite it being his first taste of NBA action outside of the summer league, Brown looked comfortable on the floor and he made some plays that should make Nets fans excited for the season to start. Being a rookie in the NBA is hard, especially for guards, so Brown will likely have some growing pains this season, but as of now, Fernandez is satisfied with the rookie's performance in his first NBA game.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Jordi Fernandez rates rookie Mikel Brown Jr.'s preseason debut
