The Brooklyn Nets’ backcourt future is starting to take shape, and NBA 2K is already buying in on Mikel Brown Jr.
On Monday, the game released its top-10 rookie rankings for the upcoming 2K27 cycle, and Brown landed at 74 overall. That puts the Nets guard seventh among this year’s rookie class, behind the top four picks as well as Los Angeles Clippers guard Keaton Wagler and Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr., both rated 75.
For Brooklyn, the number lines up with the kind of player Brown looked like in Las Vegas. His best traits in the game are expected to be his 3-point shooting, steal ability and pass accuracy - all areas he flashed during Summer League.
Brown averaged 16.7 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game in Summer League, giving the Nets plenty to like from the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. After missing the start of the California Classic, he steadily earned more minutes and looked sharper and more confident as the games went on.
His first outing offered a little bit of everything. Brown dropped a pair of high-level wraparound passes to teammates on the wing and also knocked down a corner 3-pointer for his first professional basket. On the other end, he used his length and size to bother opposing guards and create turnovers.
That kind of two-way impact fits neatly next to second-year guard Egor Demin, who also impressed at Summer League. The Nets have reason to feel encouraged about what the duo could become, and the chemistry is already visible beyond the floor.
Brown and Demin have been spending time together off the court, and the basketball internet has already given them a nickname: the Aura Bros.
“The Aura Bros? I've seen that a little bit.
He's been a really good friend of mine ever since he's here..." Demin told ClutchPoints reporter Kris Pursiainen in mid-July.
"I think we have a really good opportunity to be around each other a little bit, get to know each other. Get to feel what it is for the regular season, for the main team...
I'm very happy with the idea of me and him being a duo, backcourt. I'm very happy."
Brown’s college résumé also helps explain why Brooklyn is so intrigued. At Louisville, he was one of the most dynamic guards in the country as a freshman, and he had several huge nights. In one 40-point win over ACC rival NC State, Brown tied a program record with 45 points while shooting better than 60 percent from the field and from 3-point range.
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