The Nets’ point guard situation is shaping up as one of the first real decisions of training camp, and Mikel Brown Jr. sits right at the center of it.
Brooklyn used the No. 6 pick on Brown in this year’s NBA Draft, which gives him a real edge in the race to run the offense when the 2026-27 season opens. Still, the question hanging over the roster is whether Jordi Fernández will hand the rookie the job right away or make him prove it first.
That uncertainty has already spilled into fan debate, with Nets supporters weighing a handful of possibilities for the opening-night lineup. Brown has his backers, and so does Nolan Traoré, another Brooklyn draftee from this year. Ben Saraf is in the mix too after earning starting time at points as a rookie last season, while veterans Keon Ellis and Terance Mann could also enter the conversation depending on how camp unfolds.
One Reddit user floated a scenario in which Brown starts the season on the bench, plays roughly 20-25 minutes a night, and then works his way into the starting five. Another took a harder line, saying Fernández probably would not trust a rookie with the job immediately unless Brown absolutely takes over in camp.
Traoré has a case as well. One fan cited his playmaking and toughness as reasons he could win the role, even while noting that his three-point shot still needs work.
Brooklyn’s broader roster picture matters here, too. With Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Dëmin all expected to handle major offensive responsibilities, there’s a logic to easing Brown in instead of asking him to direct everything from day one.
Even so, Brown’s résumé makes him the clearest name in the group. Brooklyn took him sixth overall for a reason, and that draft slot says plenty about how the team views his place in the future. None of the other point guard candidates comes into the season with that same level of draft capital or expectation.
That doesn’t mean the starting job is locked up. Training camp will likely decide plenty, especially if Traoré, Saraf, Ellis or Mann clearly separates himself. But if Brown looks like the player Brooklyn believed it was getting, it will be hard to keep him off the floor in a major role.
Fernández could also split the difference by bringing Brown off the bench at first while still giving him meaningful minutes. That would let the rookie settle into the NBA without carrying the offense from the jump, and it would give Brooklyn another handler with the second unit.
However it shakes out, this is one of the Nets’ most interesting camp battles, and the point guard pecking order should be worth watching once practices begin.
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