Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. has been one of the most talked-about players on the Nets this season due to the hype surrounding him following the 2026 NBA Draft. Brooklyn has been easing Brown into NBA action after missing half of his freshman college season and after an exciting performance against the Boston Celtics, he's considered one of the better rookies already.
"Right now, the Nets have slotted Brown into a reserve role at 22 minutes per game and he has produced as a distributor – 6.9 assists per 36 minutes," Jeff Zillgitt wrote of Brown for NBA.com. Zillgitt put together his first rookie ladder of the 2026-27 season and Brown ranked No. 10 on the list, which is encouraging given that he's been coming off the bench this season.
"He had 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and a clutch 3-pointer to force overtime in Brooklyn’s loss to Boston on Tuesday," Zillgitt continued. Brown, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 draft, is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 28.6% from the field and 35.0% from behind the three-point line in 22.5 minutes played per game.
"You just started to see him being more comfortable, the way he was moving and dribbling with the ball and getting to his spots," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Brown following Tuesday's 125-124 overtime loss to the Celtics. "He touches the paint, he can explode to the rim and get there. Obviously, [there are] correctable things, but I think overall for him, more positive everything. His impact was good, so I'm happy for him."
With how well Brown played against the Celtics in the fourth quarter and overtime, coupled with the fact that guard Egor Demin suffered a right leg contusion, it's possible that the rookie could find himself in the starting lineup sooner than later. For now, Fernandez and the coaching staff is trying to ease Brown into playing consistent NBA minutes and other people around the league are taking notice of how talented he has been thus far.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Mikel Brown Jr. ranks No. 10 on NBA.com's rookie ladder
