Mikel Brown Jr. didn’t get a field goal to fall until the fourth quarter of the Brooklyn Nets’ 124-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but once he finally broke through, he wasted no time making his presence felt.
Brown opened his scoring in the period by taking a dribble handoff at the top of the key and slipping past two defenders for an easy two. Not long after, he used the lift on his jumper and his ability to get to his spot off the DHO to rise up and knock down a shot over two defenders closing in on him for his second basket of the game.
His work on DHO actions have looked impressive, especially his quick decision making.
Brown’s catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting and range also showed up in a big way, helping the Nets hang around in a back-and-forth game against a formidable playoff performance. He finished with 13 points in the final 12 minutes, though his touch eventually cooled off.
Even so, the upside was hard to miss. A guard who can create a bucket through on-ball and off-ball actions is a major asset in today’s NBA, and one who can do it in the clutch is even more valuable. Brown showed that against a bulky, lengthy Hawks defense that was willing to throw bodies at him.
There are still rough edges. Brown can be prone to turnovers and ill-advised shots from deep, but there’s also value in letting a young player work through those mistakes while taking on real pressure.
On a rebuilding Nets team, Brown should keep getting chances to handle the ball late and to have the offense run through him over the course of games.
He has also built a reputation for being mature beyond his years, with a clear attention to the little details of the game. The scouting report will catch up eventually, and the Louisville product will have to adjust to different defensive looks. For now, though, the encouraging part is how smoothly he’s been able to create clean looks for himself and his teammates while operating in the pick-and-roll.
In Other News...
Nets Still Waiting On Egor Demin As Backcourt Absences Pile Up
The Nets backcourt depth is getting tested again, with Egor Demin set to sit out the upcoming game against the Dallas Mavericks because of a right leg bone bruise. Brooklyn will have to keep waiting on the rookie, who remains in the evaluation process as the team works through another stretch of absences.
Mikel Brown Jr. will also be unavailable against Dallas, leaving the Nets even thinner in the guard rotation. Both players are at least in line to be in the conversation for Brooklyns next game against the New Orleans Pelicans, giving the team a possible boost after a short turnaround and a chance to regain some needed stability in the backcourt. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rotation Faces Heat After A Loss Brooklyn Should Have Closed
For three quarters, Brooklyn looked like it had done enough to put another win in the bank, building a lead and leaning on a balanced effort from Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle. Porter finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Randle added 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a game that, for long stretches, seemed to be trending the Nets way.
Then the closing stretch turned into the kind of loss that tends to linger in a locker room and in the film room. The 124-121 defeat to Atlanta left Brooklyn sorting through player grades and individual performances, but the bigger concern is harder to grade: how a game that was there to be closed slipped away when it mattered most. [Read more 🡒]
Julius Randle May Have Just Changed Brooklyns Late-Game Rotation
Jordi Fernndez got a useful look at something different in the fourth quarter against Charlotte, and it helped carry the Nets to a 114-104 win. Instead of leaning on the usual late-game mix, Brooklyn kept reserves Danny Wolf and Terance Mann on the floor, and the move paid off as the group helped the Nets separate in the final period.
Julius Randle still did his part with 22 points, but he also showed the kind of selflessness coaches love when a game starts tilting in the right direction. The bigger question now is whether Fernndez treats that stretch as a one-off adjustment or the start of a new closing formula, especially with Wolf and Mann making a strong case to stay in the mix when games tighten up. [Read more 🡒]