Mikel Brown Jr.’s first preseason run in a Brooklyn Nets uniform gave Jordi Fernandez plenty to like.
Brooklyn fell 144-128 to the Miami Heat on Wednesday, but Brown turned his debut into a clear bright spot. He scored 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting and added three assists in 18 minutes, and his coach came away impressed with much more than just the box score.
“[Mikel's] pace and how he moves out there [stands out]. He looked great,” Fernandez said.
“And it's just his first few minutes. So, he's going to continue to get better and build from there.
I loved his communication, how engaged he was with his teammates. I thought it was a very well-played 18 minutes for him.”
The shooting package is what jumps off the page. Brown showed off a pull-up 3 and the kind of deep range that hints at real scoring pop at the next level. He also has the burst to get downhill, which keeps pressure on defenders inside the arc.
There’s plenty to be excited about with his ceiling. Brown has been talked about as an All-Star-level talent, and his mentality has already earned praise from people around the league, including Donovan Mitchell, his fellow Louisville alum.
Still, the rough edges are part of the picture too. Brown has had issues with turnovers, and he can drift into taking too many deep 3s, which can throw an offense out of rhythm and open the door for transition chances the other way.
That said, those mistakes matter a lot less if the production keeps coming. If he’s putting up numbers like this on a regular basis, the rest of the package starts to look even more dangerous.
Fernandez’s comments about Brown’s communication at 18 also stand out. For a young guard, using his voice that comfortably this early is no small thing.
Brown and Egor Demin are both described as players who want to win and are willing to do the work to sharpen their games. They’ll each have growing pains and holes to patch up, but that kind of mindset gives them a better shot at reaching what they can become.
Injuries are already part of Brown’s early story after a lower back issue in college and a sprained ankle before his first preseason game. If he can move past that and keep stacking performances like this one, he has the tools to grow into one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers.
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