Mikel Brown Jr.’s first summer in Brooklyn has already come with a little bit of everything: golf mishaps in Texas, a rolled ankle at the start of camp and a crash course in how to survive as a rookie guard with real responsibility.
The Nets used the No. 6 pick on Brown because he can steer an offense, and that part has shown up fast. Julius Randle has noticed how often the 20-year-old makes the extra read instead of forcing the issue.
“Usually when you’re a young player, you want to try to get a basket every single time, but he’s coming off a pick and roll and really understands how to read and play the game,” Randle said.
Randle has also seen the other side of Brown’s game, the part that needs refining. Brown is still learning when to pause, when to trust the simple play and when to let the possession breathe. He knows the balance himself.
“I just got to really slow down,” Brown said.
That lesson has come with some trial and error. Brown said he likes ambitious passes and trusts his reads even when a turnover follows. His conversations with Nets coaches have centered on knowing when the safer choice is the better one.
“That swagger is going to stay regardless. And I’m a high-risk, high-reward guy,” Brown said. “Obviously I know sometimes it’s better to hit the single and that’s what I’ve been talking to my coaches about, and I’ve gotten better at that.”
Bootsy Thornton, who helped coach Brown in Orlando and has watched him closely through Summer League, wanted to see more aggression from him. But Thornton also saw a guard who can run the offense in a way that doesn’t always show up in the box score.
“I envision him as a point guard, to be honest with you,” Thornton said. “He’s a point guard who can score.”
Thornton believes Brown’s passing and shooting can help Brooklyn right away. The physical part, though, will take longer.
Brown averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists in 21 games at Louisville, where a back injury cut into his lone college season. His father, Chris Brown Sr., said the Nets have spent time working on Mikel’s base and core so he can handle contact and stay balanced through drives.
Chris expects that to be tested.
“We’re not in a rush, but every day just get stronger,” Chris said.
The rookie’s schedule has been packed since Summer League. Chris said Mikel’s day starts with a 6:30 a.m. alarm.
He gets to the facility around 7:30, works with the team through early afternoon, then lifts, recovers and gets a massage. Most nights, he is back shooting around 7 p.m. and finishing near 10 p.m.
“It’s one thing to make the NBA, it’s another thing to stick in the NBA,” Chris said.
Brown is also learning the other half of the job: the people around him. His father said he studies teammates’ tendencies and the shots they are trying to add. He watches film with coaches every day, sometimes reviewing the same material more than once so it carries over to the next practice.
And then there’s the voice.
“We need you to speak up more. We need you to be more communicative.
We need that this year,” Brown said they told him. Randle, he added, has pushed him to use it.
That communication matters because Brooklyn sees Brown as part of a crowded playmaking picture. Randle expects to work from the post, the short roll and with the ball in his hands.
Egor Dëmin wants more touches in the paint after spending much of his rookie year behind the arc. Head coach Jordi Fernández expects to use Brown and Dëmin together, drawn to their size, shooting and ability to create, and wants to see how the pairing looks before settling on the best version of it.
The two guards already have some chemistry built in. Dëmin calls Brown his brother, even though they’ve known each other only a few months. He hopes to help Brown through the rough patches and give him someone to lean on as they figure things out together.
Brown is also figuring out life away from the facility. He now has to decide when to sleep, eat and recover, and his parents still weigh in on those choices.
They’ve also encouraged him to get out and see Brooklyn. Chris said his son has mostly stayed near home and the facility, aside from trips to a halal truck around the corner.
At Media Day, Brown said he finally made it downtown.
“No school is great. No school is great. My mom is going to hit me on the head for that one,” Brown said.
For now, the ankle has slowed the on-court part of the process. Brown is watching practice, taking in drills and installations, then reviewing film afterward while he waits to join in without restrictions. Even from the sideline, he has been trying to make an impact by talking through what he sees.
Randle has heard it. The Nets have, too.
“I feel like I have no choice but to be patient,” Brown said. “I want to be out there so bad.”
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