Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr.has an entire rookie season ahead of him as he looks to establish himself as an NBA point guard at the next level. Brooklyn selected Brown with the No. 6 overall pick in part due to his ability to be creative with how he creates scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates and now, one of his classmates trusts his clutch ability.
In a video posted by the NBA in which some of the rookies from the 2026 NBA Draft class gave their superlatives, Dallas Mavericks forward Morez Johnson Jr. chose Brown as they guy he would choose to take the game-winning shot. Brown is coming off a freshman season with the University of Louisville where he showed his ability to step up when the team needed him the most.
During his lone season with the Cardinals, Brown averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 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. Brown's signature game during his freshman campaign was a 45-point, nine-rebound performance against NC State where he shot 14-of-23 from the field and 10-of-16 from deep.
With Brown joining a Nets team led by forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle, the rookie may not get many chances to attempt the last shot of the game. Under head coach Jordi Fernandez, the Nets will likely run the offense through Porter and Randle, but that should give Brown space to grow as a scorer and playmaker until he's ready to take the big shots.
With training camp less than two weeks away, Brown has the chance to earn the starting point guard job, but he'll have to compete with Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf to achieve that honor. However, with at least one member of the 2026 class believing in Brown's ability to perform in the clutch, he can move forward knowing that could be expected of him at some point during the 2026-27 NBA season.
The best scorer?
— NBA (@NBA) September 17, 2026
The best defender?
Most trustworthy to take a game-winning shot?
Rookie superlatives with the Class of 2026 🤩
The 2026-27 NBA season begins Oct. 20! pic.twitter.com/BYcEAEjQut
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Mikel Brown Jr. chosen by Morez Johnson Jr. to take last shot
