Brooklyn Nets rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. is heading toward training camp with a lot on his plate and a valuable voice in his ear. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft arrives with the kind of intangibles Brooklyn wanted, but he’s also shown he’s open to learning from people outside the organization.
One of those people is Rajon Rondo.
Brown said he spent time with the former NBA point guard this year in Louisville, where Rondo invited him over to watch film and even play chess.
"I don't think he gets enough credit. I was fortunate enough to have him as a mentor this year. He was in Louisville, he invited me to his crib and we watched some film together, played a little bit of chess," Brown said of having former NBA point guard Rajon Rondo as his mentor.
That relationship clearly left an impression. Brown described Rondo as someone who can simplify the game in a way that sticks.
"I got to pick his brain a lot this year, watch film with him. I got to pick his brain, people view him as very smart, which he is very smart, but he just broke the game down in just such a simple way," Brown continued on Rondo.
"Make the simple play. He just kept telling me that all season and it helped me down the stretch."
Brown’s lone season at Louisville gave him plenty to work with. The 20-year-old averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 41.0% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range.
That production came while he was dealing with a back injury that sidelined him for about half the season. Even so, Brown showed in Chicago at the Combine that he had mostly moved past it, then backed that up on the summer league circuit when healthy.
Rondo built his career on setting up teammates and finding the right pass. Brown seems intent on absorbing that same lesson - and maybe even adding more to it as his NBA career begins.
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