Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. left Las Vegas with his stock pointing up.
Brown entered the Summer League carrying plenty of buzz after Brooklyn took him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he didn’t suit up for the first couple of games. Once he got on the floor, though, he made his presence felt enough to earn a strong review from ESPN’s Zach Kram.
Kram ranked Brown sixth among the rookies who played in the Las Vegas Summer League, noting that “Brown didn't have the obvious highlight moments that the players selected above him at No. 6 in the draft did, but he turned in a solid two-way performance at summer league,”
The defensive side of the ball stood out most. “He opened eyes on the defensive end, where he was disruptive in forcing turnovers and standing strong in isolation defense,” Kram continued on Brown.
“On offense, Brown looked comfortable creating his shot, and he was more fluid in getting to his spots than many of the guards in this rookie class. He appears to have the highest ceiling of any of the Nets' numerous young players.”
Brown, 20, played four games in the summer circuit and finished with averages of 15.0 points, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 38.8% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range.
If Brown doesn’t take part in Sunday’s consolation game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he’ll head into the offseason with a solid showing behind him. And with the Nets expected to lean on young pieces like Egor Demin and Danny Wolf as well, Brown’s early work in Las Vegas gave Brooklyn a reason to feel encouraged about what’s ahead.
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